A federal judge on Tuesday blocked billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) from taking any more steps to shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), saying their efforts to close the agency probably violated the US Constitution.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The judge acknowledged that it is likely that USAID is no longer capable of performing some of its statutorily required functions.
“Taken together, these facts support the conclusion that USAID has been effectively eliminated,” Chuang wrote in the preliminary injunction.
The lawsuit filed by lawyers for USAID employees and contractors singled out Musk as a defendant, arguing that he was wielding power the Constitution reserves only for those who win elections or are confirmed by the Senate.
