Attorneys general from 14 states have officially launched a legal challenge against Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) concerning their purported access to sensitive government information and the exertion of what they describe as “virtually unchecked power.” This lawsuit was submitted in federal court located in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
The legal filing contends that the powers exercised by Musk in his role at DOGE should only be held by officials who have been nominated and confirmed by the Senate. The document references constitutional clauses that clarify the authoritative functions of Congress and the president.
In their plea to the court, the attorneys general are requesting an injunction to prevent Musk from issuing directives to anyone within the executive branch who is not part of DOGE, asserting that his actions currently lack legal validity.
They further ask for the court to compel Musk to reveal how any data obtained through what they refer to as unlawful agency access has been utilized. Additionally, they seek to have any such unauthorized data destroyed and instate prohibitions on Musk and DOGE regarding alterations in public fund allocations, the cancellation of governmental contracts, and dismantling agency operations, among other actions.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel stated in an online press conference, where she was joined by counterparts from Arizona and New Mexico, that their objective is to nullify Musk’s directives and actions while seeking a restraining order against him.
The coalition of attorneys general includes representatives from states such as California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, all of whom have backed the lawsuit.
Musk has reportedly conducted inquiries across various government agencies, probing into computer systems, scrutinizing budgets, and searching for instances of what he labels as waste, fraud, and abuse, while facing legal challenges that assert that Musk and DOGE are running afoul of the law.
On the same day as the lawsuit’s filing, Musk publicly advocated for a significant transformation of the federal government, suggesting the deletion of entire agencies as part of a radical overhaul aimed at slashing spending and reshaping governmental priorities.
Democratic attorneys general have raised serious concerns among their constituents regarding the protection of sensitive data in governmental institutions like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the IRS. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez criticized the deployment of Musk by the Trump administration, suggesting it reflects a lack of strength and foresight.
Torrez stated, “Moving rapidly and causing disruption may be effective in the tech industry, but it does not align with good governance and contravenes constitutional principles.”
