Judge Orders Elon Musk and Dogecoin Team to Hand Over Cost-Cutting Docs
Elon Musk along with what he refers to as the "Department of Government Efficiency," also known as DOGE, has received instructions from a federal judge to sift through a broad range of documents that could expose the names of employees along with internal files pertaining to initiatives aimed at significantly reducing federal government expenditures and services.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan's ruling compels Musk to hand over documents pertaining to Dogecoin's operations. as part of legal proceedings filed by 14 Democratic state attorneys general alleging that Musk breached the Constitution by assuming authorities reserved for officials confirmed by the Senate.
Chutkan said in her 14-page decision She permitted the state attorneys general to acquire documents from Musk so they could determine the extent of his powers. This information would help decide if his actions were unconstitutional enough to warrant stopping Doge's operations.
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The judge also suggested that the so-called discovery requests, which she limited to only documents and not any depositions, could include the identities of Doge staffers in order to establish the scope of the Doge operation. Chutkan’s order does not apply to Donald Trump.
For several weeks now, Musk has been taking went to great lengths to hide how Doge functions Starting with his participation in the initiative, Musk serves as a "special government employee." The White House has stated this designation implies that his financial disclosure filings will remain confidential and won’t be released publicly.
The White House later said in court filings that Musk served as a senior advisor to the president, a title which reportedly indicated that Musk lacked any real or official power to make governmental decisions. This seemed at odds with how Trump had previously discussed Musk’s role publically.
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At the heart of this lawsuit lies a constitutional clause stating that individuals acting and wielding power as departmental leaders are considered "principal officers." These principal officers may only execute their authority after being initially proposed by the president and subsequently approved by the Senate.
Musk’s position has been unclear as he hasn’t gone through Senate confirmation yet, despite issuing orders. significant reductions to government departments and initiatives As the leading figurehead of Doge, he remained so until his actions led to legal issues that put him at risk of facing constitutional challenges and public record inquiries.
The White House has attempted to thwart additional legal scrutiny regarding Musk’s actions by invoking executive privilege through his role as a senior advisor. However, Judge Chutkan determined that the demands for documents and written replies were not extensive enough to unduly impact the operations of the executive branch.
This marks the second consecutive day of setbacks for Doge, following another ruling by a different federal judge in Washington D.C. wielding so much power that its records would probably need to be accessible through public records requests.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, referring to reports from The Guardian, stated that the "unprecedented" power held by Doge along with its "exceptional confidentiality" in bypassing federal regulations required it to review thousands of pages of documentation requested by a progressive oversight organization.
