A federal judge on Tuesday refused to immediately halt Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from directing federal job cuts or accessing government databases, despite raising concerns about Musk’s unchecked authority.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan denied an emergency request from over a dozen states to bar DOGE from accessing systems at seven federal agencies or terminating government employees. However, she acknowledged concerns over Musk’s extensive power, noting DOGE was neither created by Congress nor subject to congressional oversight.
DOGE, led by Musk under President Donald Trump, has aggressively cut jobs and restructured agencies since Trump’s return to office last month. The lawsuit, filed by attorneys general from New Mexico, Michigan, and Arizona, argues that Musk’s role violates the U.S. Constitution’s Appointments Clause, which requires Senate confirmation for such authority.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes vowed to continue fighting "unconstitutional executive overreach." Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas in New York extended a block preventing DOGE from accessing Treasury Department systems, while Judge Randolph Moss in Washington allowed DOGE to access federal student aid data.
With around 20 lawsuits challenging DOGE’s authority, legal battles continue over the department’s sweeping government overhaul.