Guess who:
A federal judge in Washington gave President Trump a victory for now when she declined on Tuesday to bar Elon Musk and his associates from having access to data at seven federal agencies or involvement in mass firings.
In an order on Tuesday, Judge Tanya S. Chutkan in Federal District Court in Washington, wrote that a coalition of 14 state attorneys general had failed in seeking an emergency halt to show specific examples of how Mr. Musk’s team’s sweeping data collection efforts could cause those states imminent or irreparable harm.
“The court is aware that DOGE’s unpredictable actions have resulted in considerable uncertainty and confusion for plaintiffs and many of their agencies and residents,” Judge Chutkan wrote, referring to the Department of Government Efficiency tasked with carrying out Mr. Musk’s vision. “But the ‘possibility’ that defendants may take actions that irreparably harm plaintiffs ‘is not enough.’”
The ruling by Judge Chutkan reflected the atmosphere of confusion surrounding the purpose and goals of Mr. Musk’s team, which judges in a number of court cases have repeatedly and unsuccessfully asked government lawyers to clarify.
It also reflected what Judge Chutkan described as the considerable uncertainty about what future cuts and layoffs could result from Mr. Musk’s effort to shrink the federal work force, which has resulted in the termination of hundreds of federal contracts and thousands of workers in recent weeks.
A federal judge in Washington gave President Trump a victory for now when she declined on Tuesday to bar Elon Musk and his associates from having access to data at seven federal agencies or involvement in mass firings.
In an order on Tuesday, Judge Tanya S. Chutkan in Federal District Court in Washington, wrote that a coalition of 14 state attorneys general had failed in seeking an emergency halt to show specific examples of how Mr. Musk’s team’s sweeping data collection efforts could cause those states imminent or irreparable harm.
“The court is aware that DOGE’s unpredictable actions have resulted in considerable uncertainty and confusion for plaintiffs and many of their agencies and residents,” Judge Chutkan wrote, referring to the Department of Government Efficiency tasked with carrying out Mr. Musk’s vision. “But the ‘possibility’ that defendants may take actions that irreparably harm plaintiffs ‘is not enough.’”
The ruling by Judge Chutkan reflected the atmosphere of confusion surrounding the purpose and goals of Mr. Musk’s team, which judges in a number of court cases have repeatedly and unsuccessfully asked government lawyers to clarify.
It also reflected what Judge Chutkan described as the considerable uncertainty about what future cuts and layoffs could result from Mr. Musk’s effort to shrink the federal work force, which has resulted in the termination of hundreds of federal contracts and thousands of workers in recent weeks.
