Elon Musk’s DOGE leadership likely violates Constitution’s appointments clause, judge says

Elon Musk’s role overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is likely a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s appointments clause, a federal judge wrote Tuesday. Theodore Chuang, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, wrote in an opinion there is more than enough evidence — mostly from statements made by Musk and Donald Trump — that shows the world’s richest man is really acting as the head of DOGE despite the government’s claim he is merely a “special advisor to the president.” Chuang issued the opinion in a case brought against Musk and DOGE by unnamed workers at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The judge also wrote that the actions Musk has taken in that role, like shutting down USAID — which Musk said he threw into the “wood chipper” — are therefore likely unconstitutional, too. “Musk has exerted actual authority at USAID that only a properly appointed Officer can exercise,” he wrote. (Officer of the United S ... Read full article.