A federal judge in the United States has mandated that Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency provide a range of documents and respond to inquiries regarding their initiatives to reduce federal expenditures.
The ruling, issued on Wednesday evening by US District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington, D.C., is part of a lawsuit filed by 14 Democratic state attorneys general against Musk, the Department of Government Efficiency, and former Republican President Donald Trump.
The states contended that Musk overstepped constitutional boundaries by exercising authority reserved for officials confirmed by the US Senate under the Appointments Clause, and they sought information from him through a legal process known as discovery. Judge Chutkan, appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama, indicated that her directive primarily aimed to clarify who within the Department of Government Efficiency was responsible for making decisions related to cost reductions and the extent of their authority.
Defendants contend that the “inner workings of government” are irrelevant to a claim under the Appointments Clause, as noted by the judge. She expressed that while the court does not find this argument persuasive, it is a legal matter that should be addressed following comprehensive briefing.
At this point, she remarked, it is adequate for the plaintiffs’ discovery requests to aim at uncovering the extent of authority held by DOGE and Musk.
The U.S. Department of Justice, representing the defendants, did not provide an immediate response to a request for comment on Thursday.
Chutkan has restricted discovery requests to information related to agencies, employees, contracts, grants, federal funding, legal agreements, databases, and data management systems that involve or interact with the 14 states and the entities they operate or finance.
She denied the states’ request for sworn testimony through depositions and clarified that her order does not pertain to Trump. Both Republican and Democratic administrations have historically opposed attempts to compel senior White House advisers to testify in court or disclose information they deem privileged.
Musk and DOGE are required to comply with Chutkan’s order by April 2.
The lawsuit aims to prevent DOGE from accessing information systems within various government departments and from terminating federal employees or placing them on leave.
