A federal appeals court on Friday lifted a lower court’s order blocking Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from continuing its controversial cost-cutting efforts at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) — handing a major legal victory to the Trump administration.
In a 2-1 ruling, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit overturned a decision by U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang of Maryland, who last month had ruled that DOGE’s actions violated the Constitution’s Appointments Clause.
The appeals court found that the government is likely to prevail in showing that Musk’s role and DOGE’s operations are constitutionally sound.
Judge Chuang had ruled in early March that Musk’s role and DOGE’s influence at USAID ran afoul of the Appointments Clause of the Constitution, which governs the process of naming and empowering federal officers. The judge issued an injunction halting further DOGE activity at USAID, citing concerns that Musk was exercising executive authority without Senate confirmation.
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The Justice Department swiftly appealed, arguing that DOGE is an advisory body and that Musk’s role complies with the law because he reports to Senate-confirmed officials and holds no unilateral enforcement power.
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