Hamza Adam 
A federal judge on Tuesday dealt a legal blow to the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s DOGE-led efforts to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development.
U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang found in a ruling critical of the unilateral move that Musk likely violated the Constitution. The ruling came after a group of more than two dozen unnamed current and former USAID employees and contractors challenged Musk’s attempt to halt operations at the agency, according to CBS News.
In his 68-page order, Chuang granted in part the employees’ request for a preliminary injunction after finding that Musk and his cost-cutting task force’s actions “to shut USAID on an accelerated basis, including its apparent decision to permanently close USAID headquarters without the approval of a duly appointed USAID Officer, likely violated the United States Constitution in multiple ways.”
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He added that the result of Musk and DOGE overstepping the Constitution, “harmed not only plaintiffs, but also the public interest, because they deprived the public’s elected representatives in Congress of their constitutional authority.”
The judge “ordered Musk and task force employees to reinstate access to email, payment and other electronic systems to all current USAID employees and personal services contractors,” CBS News reported.
The order also prevents the Trump administration “from taking any action relating to the shutdown of USAID, including placing employees on administrative leave, firing USAID workers, closing its buildings, bureaus or offices, and deleting the contents of its websites or collections,” according to CBS News.