A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Elon Musk and the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency “likely violated” the Constitution by unilaterally attempting to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Obama-appointed District Judge Theodore Chuang sided with more than two dozen unnamed current and former USAID employees and contractors who challenged the shutdown efforts led by DOGE and Musk, a senior White House adviser appointed by President Donald Trump to head the task force.
In a 68-page decision, Chuang granted part of their request for a preliminary injunction, finding that DOGE and Musk likely violated the Constitution’s Appointments Clause and separation of powers. He ordered Musk and task force employees to restore access to email, payment, and other electronic systems for all current USAID employees and contractors.
The ruling also bars the Trump administration from proceeding with the agency’s closure, prohibiting actions such as placing employees on administrative leave, terminating staff, shutting down offices, or deleting online records and archives.
