A federal judge has questioned the authority of Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) but was sceptical of a request to block the department from accessing sensitive data and firing employees at half a dozen federal agencies. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan held a hearing on a request from 14 states for a temporary restraining order seeking to curtail the tech billionaire's power in President Donald Trump's quest to downsize the federal government. Chutkan said she would rule within 24 hours.
Trump appointed Musk to lead DOGE in a push to slash the federal workforce and reduce or end disfavoured programs. The administration dismissed probationary employees and Trump in an executive order told agency leaders to plan for "large-scale reductions". Democratic prosecutors from 14 states filed a lawsuit challenging what they called Musk's "unchecked power".
The states are seeking to block DOGE from firing employees and accessing data at the federal Office of Personnel Management along with six federal agencies that oversee health and human services, education, energy, transportation, labour and commerce. During the hearing via video link, Chutkan said she did not think the states had shown necessary evidence of imminent harm to merit court intervention at this stage. The prosecutors argued that Musk's actions at the helm of DOGE could be taken only by a nominated and Senate-confirmed official under the constitution.
They also said citizens had concerns about .
