A federal judge will hold a virtual hearing Monday to address the emergency motion filed by 14 states seeking to block tech billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency from continuing to overhaul the federal government.
Fourteen states filed a federal lawsuit Thursday alleging that Musk’s “expansive authority” is in violation of the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which calls for anyone deemed a “principal officer” of the U.S. government to be formally nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
The plaintiffs have asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to issue a temporary restraining order against Musk and DOGE, whose efforts are part of Trump’s campaign promise to slash the federal government.
At least 73 lawsuits have been filed challenging Trump’s executive actions in his first month back in office, with many of them resulting in temporary restraining orders.
Over the last week, courts have ruled that DOGE is temporarily barred from accessing sensitive Treasury Department information and payment systems; that agencies that maintain public health data must restore their websites and databases; that the State Department must pause the implementation of Trump’s sweeping 90-day foreign aid freeze and the dismantling of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; and that the National Institutes of Health cannot reduce their cap on indirect funding for research, nor can the federal government withhold any federal funding because a health care entity or professional provides gender-affirming medical service to a minor.
While the Trump administration notched some wins in court last week — including rulings allowing DOGE to continue accessing some sensitive records and giving the green light for an unprecedented federal buyout — the president and his allies like Musk and Vice President JD Vance have begun floating the idea of pushing back on the courts.
“He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” Trump wrote on social media over the weekend.
Over the weekend, the Trump administration, in an application to the Supreme Court, lambasted the series of legal setbacks the president has faced, telling the high court that the lower court rulings “irreparably harm the Presidency by curtailing the President’s ability to manage the Executive Branch in the earliest days of his Administration.”
“The district court’s order exemplifies a broader, weeks-long trend in which plaintiffs challenging President Trump’s initiatives have persuaded district courts to issue TROs that intrude upon a host of the President’s Article II powers,” wrote Solicitor General Sarah Harris.
The rapid pace of litigation is set to continue with at least eight separate cases scheduled to have court hearings this week.
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