A federal district judge in Maryland has ruled that Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) may have violated the United States Constitution by attempting to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID), an agency responsible for distributing foreign aid. Judge Theodore Chuang’s preliminary ruling came in response to a complaint filed by 26 USAID employees and contractors. The judge determined that DOGE’s actions, including shutting down USAID headquarters without proper approval, likely infringed upon multiple constitutional principles. Chuang also stated that the plaintiffs and the public interest were harmed by Musk and DOGE’s decision to undemocratically shut down an agency created by Congress. Consequently, the judge approved a temporary injunction preventing Musk and DOGE from proceeding with USAID-related staff cuts, contract cancellations, and other shutdown measures. This ruling dealt a significant blow to Musk, who, despite his ambiguous role in the government, has wielded substantial influence due to his close relationship with President Donald Trump. As a tech billionaire classified as a “special government employee,” Musk has led DOGE in its efforts to restructure the federal government, resulting in down-sizing its workforce and attempting to shut down agencies like USAID. Following Trump’s presidential order to freeze foreign aid, which is a central part of USAID’s work, Musk launched a campaign advocating for the complete closure of USAID, stating that it was a “criminal organization” without providing evidence. By the end of February, USAID’s headquarters were effectively shut down, employees were dismissed, and contracts were canceled. Following Chuang’s ruling, Trump’s allies criticized the judge, accusing him of partisanship. Also, Chuang demanded that DOGE restore USAID employees’ access to electronic systems and recover any deleted emails to maintain the status quo and prevent the premature shutdown of USAID.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/19/judge-says-musk-and-doge-likely-violated-constitution-in-usaid-shutdown?traffic_source=rss