The USAID logo is seen on a non functioning computer at the Inclusive Education Community Resource Center on March 14 in Batangas city, Philippines. Photo: Ezra Acayan/Getty Images
A federal judge on Tuesday said Elon Musk and DOGE likely violated the U.S Constitution with its “accelerated” shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The big picture: The shutdown harmed public interest and deprived Congress of using its constitutional authority as the public’s elected representatives to decide what to do with an agency it created, the judge said in his written opinion.
- U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang ordered DOGE to restore USAID emails, payments, security notifications, electronic systems and more within seven days of his order.
- Chuang also barred the federal government from terminating employees or placing them on leave, closing USAID buildings and shutting down USAID information technology systems.
Context: DOGE gutted the world’s largest humanitarian aid organization in January and February and Musk labeled the agency as corrupt and wasteful.
- Musk and DOGE were sued by 26 current or recently terminated USAID employees and contractors, who alleged the federal government’s actions were unconstitutional.
State of play: The judge barred Musk and DOGE from taking other actions relating to USAID “without the express authorization of a USAID official with legal authority to take or approve the action.”
- The constitutional Appointments Clause “would be reduced to nothing more than a technical formality” if the president’s advisers could go beyond their traditional role, Chuang wrote.
Go deeper: What is USAID, the federal agency the Trump admin is gutting
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with details throughout.
