Categories: Politics

Obama-nominated judge allows lawsuit targeting Musk’s role with DOGE to proceed, drops claims against Trump

An Obama-appointed federal judge has largely rejected the Trump administration’s request for the dismissal of a DOGE-related legal challenge, though she did dismiss President Donald Trump as a defendant, while otherwise allowing the wranglings to proceed.

“Defendants seek to dismiss President Trump as a defendant because the court may not enjoin the President in the performance of his official duties,” a memorandum opinion notes, adding, “The court agrees.”

The memorandum opinion and order are signed by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

ELON MUSK ‘DISAPPOINTED’ BY TRUMP’S SPENDING BILL, SAYS IT UNDERMINES WHAT DOGE IS DOING

President Donald Trump arrives to deliver remarks at the National Memorial Day Observance at the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on May 26, 2025. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

“Defendants’ motion to dismiss Count I against President Donald J. Trump, in his official capacity as President of the United States, is GRANTED. Defendants’ motion to dismiss Count I against all other defendants and Count II is DENIED,” the order declares.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Justice Department spokesperson said, “This Department of Justice has vigorously defended President Trump’s ability to conduct official duties and will continue to do so whenever those actions are challenged in federal court.”

DESANTIS GOADS CONGRESS TO FOLLOW FL’S DOGE BLUEPRINT AS MUSK’S CUTS STILL WAIT FOR VOTE

Video

More than a dozen states lodged a legal challenge regarding Elon Musk’s work on Trump’s DOGE cost-cutting initiative earlier this year. 

“This Court should restore constitutional order and, consistent with the Appointments Clause, enjoin Mr. Musk from issuing orders to any person in the Executive Branch outside of DOGE and otherwise engaging in the actions of an officer of the United States, and declare that his actions to date are ultra vires and of no legal effect,” the complaint filed in February declared.

SPACEX’S STARSHIP FLIGHT 9 ENDS IN FAILURE AFTER BOOSTER LOSS: ‘SUCCESS COMES FROM WHAT WE LEARN’

Video

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

After heavily focusing on the effort, Musk later noted that he planned to reduce how much time he spends on it. 

Last week he declared in a tweet, “Back to spending 24/7 at work and sleeping in conference/server/factory rooms,” noting that he needed to focus on various business endeavors.

“The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized,” he noted on Tuesday, according to the Washington Post. “I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in D.C., to say the least.”

Share

Recent Posts

How to safely view your bank and retirement accounts online

Logging into your bank, retirement or investment accounts is now part of everyday life. Still,…

19 hours ago

Warm-skinned AI robot with camera eyes is seriously creepy

Humanoid robots are no longer hiding in research labs somewhere. These days, they are stepping…

24 hours ago

2026 Valentine’s romance scams and how to avoid them

Valentine's Day should be about connection. However, every February also becomes the busiest season of…

2 days ago

Roblox child safety warning after Nebraska kidnapping case

What starts as a game can quietly turn into something much more serious. Parents across…

2 days ago

Microsoft ‘Important Mail’ email is a scam: How to spot it

Scam emails are getting better at looking official. This one claims to be an urgent…

3 days ago

Humanoid robots are getting smaller, safer and closer

For decades, humanoid robots have lived behind safety cages in factories or deep inside research…

3 days ago