A federal judge in Washington has denied an urgent request to prevent Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from firing employees or accessing sensitive records across multiple government agencies. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled that the states filing the lawsuit did not provide enough specific evidence to demonstrate immediate and irreparable harm, stating that media reports alone could not serve as legal proof. The lawsuit, brought by attorneys general from fourteen states, sought a temporary restraining order to block DOGE from accessing data and making personnel changes within agencies such as the Departments of Education, Labor, Health and Human Services, Energy, Transportation, Commerce, and the Office of Personnel Management.
The lawsuit argues that Musk’s role and authority within the federal government violate the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which requires principal officers to be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. While the ruling favored the administration in the short term, Judge Chutkan acknowledged the states’ concerns that Musk’s authority may be unconstitutional. She noted that if the allegations are substantiated, they could represent the kind of executive overreach that the Appointments Clause is intended to prevent.
During the hearing, Judge Chutkan expressed skepticism about DOGE’s lack of congressional oversight and raised concerns about the potential mass firing of federal employees. Government attorneys were unable to confirm how many employees had been dismissed, which Chutkan found troubling given the scale of reported actions. She stated that DOGE appeared to be operating in an unpredictable and disorderly manner, making it more difficult for the states to demonstrate immediate harm.
The lawsuit is one of at least seventy-three legal challenges to President Trump’s executive actions since his return to office, with multiple courts issuing temporary restraining orders against certain policies. Recent rulings have blocked DOGE from accessing sensitive Treasury Department information, prevented cuts to public health data access, and halted the dismantling of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Additionally, a court ruled that federal funding could not be withheld from healthcare providers offering gender-affirming services to minors.
