District Judge Theodore Chuang said Elon Musk and DOGE’s actions 'likely violated' the Constitution “in multiple ways,' and he ordered DOGE to restore agency email access and certain payments, but the impact of the ruling is undetermined because many of its programs were already shut down.
(LifeSiteNews) -- Lawfare experts have successfully halted the Trump administration from dismantling the Deep State by prohibiting it from further defunding the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
In a preliminary ruling handed down Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang sided against the Elon Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE. The order was issued in response to a lawsuit filed by 26 anonymous USAID employees.
“Today's decision is an important victory against Elon Musk and his DOGE attack on USAID, the U.S. government, and the Constitution," Norm Eisen, a representative for the plaintiffs, said.
Eisen chairs the misleadingly named State Democracy Defenders Fund, a non-governmental agency. He has also written books and numerous essays on how to carry out Color Revolutions by weaponizing the legal system.
In his 68-page opinion, Chuang, an Obama appointee who has donated to Democratic causes, stated that Musk and DOGE’s actions "likely violated” the Constitution “in multiple ways, and that these actions harmed not only plaintiffs, but also the public interest.” He also ordered DOGE to restore agency email access and certain payments, among other tasks.
While Chang’s decision is being heralded as a temporary victory, it may be too little too late. “With the majority of USAID's programs already terminated, and its staff whittled down to a couple hundred people, it wasn't immediately clear what kind of impact the judge's order would have on an effectively shuttered agency,” NPR reported.
Other lawsuits have been brought against Trump for its assault on USAID as well. According to Reuters, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ordered the administration to unfreeze payments to contractors for previous work but didn’t go so far as to demand it reinstate the contracts. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops previously sued the administration over its canceling of contracts for its resettlement program.
The Trump administration is likely to appeal Chuang’s decision.
