A US judge will be required to make a decision within 24 hours on a lawsuit that opposes the participation of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team in key government departments. The team, which has been mandated with transforming the US government during President Donald Trump’s leadership, has been opposed by 13 Democratic state attorneys general, who have called for the court to block Musk’s team from accessing essential information systems in seven government departments.
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan listened to arguments on Monday, which was Presidents Day, a federal holiday, regarding the emergency appeal by the states to keep Musk and DOGE out of systems at the Departments of Labor, Education, Health and Human Services, Energy, Transportation, Commerce, and the Office of Personnel Management. The states say that Musk’s group is threatening current programs and services by dismantling program initiatives and spearheading mass layoffs.
Judge Chutkan was concerned with the jurisdictional basis for the request, specifically the requirement for obtaining a temporary restraining order (TRO), and whether imminent harm was established. She indicated that, if the states were to win the case in the end, she might be able to reinstate the programs that had been disrupted by the actions of Musk.
The states also look to block Musk’s DOGE team from terminating employees or putting them on furlough. The federal government has not yet confirmed whether or not mass terminations took place, with a government lawyer slated to offer further details to the court later in the day.
Legal battles against Musk’s right to helm DOGE have been building, with numerous federal lawsuits that have been brought and some judges preventing Musk from accessing sensitive government networks, while others have permitted it to go ahead.
