Maryland Court Orders Elon Musk’s DOGE to Stop Attempts to Take Down USAID – Rezazade

A federal judge in Maryland on Tuesday temporarily blocked billionaire Elon Musk and the DOGE USA Service from further actions aimed at taking down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

He also ordered that steps be taken to restore the agency’s access to its headquarters in the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., if the plaintiffs win the lawsuit.

In addition, the court ordered DOGE to restore access to email and other resources for thousands of USAID employees who were disconnected, including those working in dangerous areas and whose jobs were at risk. DOGE is also prohibited from transferring the personal information of agency employees outside its borders, and any other actions regarding USAID must be taken only with the permission of an authorized agency official.

The preliminary injunction, issued by U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang in a federal court in Maryland, is another blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to significantly reduce the size of the federal government. While the court left open the possibility of continuing the process of liquidating USAID, the move is another setback after other court rulings reinstating thousands of fired federal employees. Chuang’s ruling will remain in effect until further notice, which could be issued later in the case or after the trial.

On Monday, the Trump administration was forced to reinstate thousands of probationary employees after another judge in Maryland ruled that their dismissals were unlawful. The ruling is currently being appealed in a federal appeals court.

The lawsuit was filed by the State Democracy Defenders Fund on behalf of more than two dozen USAID employees, who are listed as plaintiffs in the case under the pseudonyms J. Does 1-26. They argue that Musk’s seizure of power over federal agencies is “unprecedented in U.S. history” and that, under the Constitution, such powers can only be exercised by a person nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate as an “officer of the United States.” The lawsuit also alleges that DOGE’s attempts to dismantle USAID are unconstitutional because the agency was created by Congress, and only Congress has the authority to dissolve it.

In an accompanying 68-page legal opinion, Judge Chuang acknowledged that the Trump administration did indeed act to dismantle USAID and agreed that the plaintiffs would likely prevail because the administration’s actions violated the constitutional principle of separation of powers.