On Tuesday, a federal judge in the United States ruled to reject a lawsuit brought by 14 Democratic state attorneys general, which sought to immediately prevent billionaire Elon Musk’s leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from firing federal employees and accessing databases of seven federal agencies.
District Judge Tanya Chutkan of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia rejected the request made by the 14-state alliance led by New Mexico, which requested a halt to the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing computer systems of federal agencies during the lawsuit, as well as preventing the department from dismissing government employees.
Musk is responsible for leading the Department of Government Efficiency established by President Trump’s executive order, which played a key role in implementing Trump’s plans to streamline and reform federal government agencies.
In her ruling, Chutkan wrote that the states “have reason to question the unrestrained power of an unelected individual and an entity that is not created by Congress and not subject to congressional oversight,” but the states did not demonstrate why they had the right to immediately request an injunction.
The U.S. district judge, appointed by former Democratic President Obama and who previously oversaw the Trump 2020 federal election interference case, stated in the ruling that the states’ request for the court to issue an emergency order was too broad and speculative.
The 14 Democratic state attorneys general who filed the lawsuit believe that the actions of the Department of Government Efficiency have endangered the ability of these states to carry out education and other projects.
These states argue that under the provision in the U.S. Constitution known as the “Appointments Clause,” the power exercised by Musk can only be exercised by government officials nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The states also argue that the Department of Government Efficiency itself has not been authorized by Congress.
The lawsuit aims to prevent the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing the information systems of the U.S. Department of Labor, Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and accuses Musk’s team of illegally obtaining data from federal agencies.
These states also requested Chutkan to prevent Musk and members of his team from firing federal employees or placing them on leave.