The judge rules of dismantling of USAID was unconstitutional

On Tuesday, a federal court ordered the government to restore US Agency for International Development systems, stating that the agency's rapid closure, orchestrated by Elon Musk, "likely violated the United States Constitution in multiple ways."

U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang ordered Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency to immediately provide USAID workers access to their "email, payment, security notification, and all other electronic systems," and to halt any efforts to shut down USAID.

The judge ruled that Musk's acquisition "usurped the authority of the public's elected representatives in Congress to make decisions on whether, when, and how to eliminate a federal government agency, and of Officers of the United States duly appointed under the Constitution to exercise the authority entrusted to them." He also directed the agency to give formal certification of compliance to the court within seven days.

"The court will require Defendants, within 14 days, to secure and submit a written agreement among all necessary parties that ensures that USAID will be able to reoccupy USAID headquarters at its original location, in the event of a final ruling in favor of Plaintiffs," the order said.

He further directed DOGE and Musk not to take any action involving USAID without the express permission of a USAID officer with legal authority to do so. Chuang ruled that the restriction was justified since DOGE and Musk looked "to have been primarily responsible for the rush to shut down USAID."

"DOGE has taken numerous actions without any apparent advanced approval by agency leadership," Mr. Chuang stated.

USAID was one of the first organizations targeted by DOGE as part of Mr. Trump's broad objective to reduce the size of the federal government. Soon after the president returned for a second term, the agency, which was founded in 1961, was subjected to a 90-day halt in foreign assistance financing, wreaking havoc on nonprofit organizations, enterprises, and humanitarian groups that had won grants and other awards from USAID.

DOGE team members also acquired access to the agency's finance and personnel systems, while hundreds of USAID employees were placed on administrative leave. Last month, its website was shut down, email accounts were canceled, and US Customs and Border Protection took over USAID's offices in Washington, D.C.

Critics of the Trump administration argue that its efforts to dismantle the agency would erode American influence abroad and have disastrous consequences for some of the world's most disadvantaged communities, who rely on US support for health care, food, and other basic needs.

The anonymous USAID workers and personal services contractors filed a complaint against Musk and DOGE in mid-February, claiming that Musk's activities violated the Appointments Clause of the Constitution. The complaint was one of many filed after DOGE was founded, challenging Musk's conduct and the task force's access to critical federal networks.

Musk, a software tycoon and Trump adviser, took over DOGE following his inauguration in January. Weeks later, he stated in an X post that they intended to shut down USAID.