Judge gives Trump huge win, says deposing DOGE staff cannot stop government from enacting 'permanent' USAID 'shutdown' [View all]
Source: Law & Crime
May 27th, 2025, 5:17 pm
A Maryland judge on Tuesday gave the Trump administration a victory in a case over its controversial plans to significantly restructure the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
In a 10-page memorandum opinion, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang, a Barack Obama appointee, rejected efforts to depose several members of USAID and the Elon Musk-helmed U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). “[T]he proposed depositions of multiple officials with significant roles in the operation of the government imposes a meaningful burden,” Chuang determined.
In the underlying case, the plaintiffs — 26 current and former USAID contractors and employees — claim Musk possesses “an extraordinary amount of power” without being nominated or confirmed by the Senate, in violation of the Constitution’s Appointments Clause.
To date, Chuang has been broadly suspicious and critical of the government’s efforts — making the Thursday victory for the Trump administration significant.
Read more: https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/a-meaningful-burden-judge-gives-trump-huge-win-says-deposing-doge-staff-cannot-stop-government-from-enacting-permanent-usaid-shutdown/
Full headline: ‘A meaningful burden’: Judge gives Trump huge win, says deposing DOGE staff cannot stop government from enacting ‘permanent’ USAID ‘shutdown’
Link to OPINION (PDF viewer) - https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25954342-does-v-doge-opinion/
Link to OPINION (PDF) - https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25954342/does-v-doge-opinion.pdf
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