Judge Tanya Chutkan Is Back and She’s Very Skeptical About Democrat Lawsuits Against Elon Musk

Judge Tanya Chutkan is back everybody!

As you may recall, the Obama-appointed Judge Chutkan oversaw Jack Smith’s bogus J6 case against President Trump.

She was also responsible for giving out harsh sentences against several J6 defendants.

Basically, she has continually ruled against President Trump and his allies in every case she’s been given.

And now, Judge Chutkan has been assigned the case brought by a coalition of Democrat Attorney Generals from several blue states who want Elon Musk removed as head of DOGE.

Laura Loomer broke down what’s going on:

Judge Tanya Chutkan has been assigned the case against DOGE and @elonmusk filed by a coalition of blue states.

Tanya Chutkan was born in Kingston, Jamaica. She’s not even from the US.

She donated over $3,000 to Barack Obama's Presidential campaigns between 2008-2012. Chutkan… pic.twitter.com/7UrvI7RrKT

— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) February 14, 2025

George on X also noted:

GO FREAKING FIGURE! The case filed by a coalition of blue states challenging Elon Musk's role as head of DOGE will be heard & ruled on by Tanya Chutkan—the judge who gave Jack Smith everything he wanted in the January 6th hoax. pic.twitter.com/lclrcLzlGC

— George (@BehizyTweets) February 14, 2025

We reported on the full details of the case brought against Elon Musk by these radical leftist AGs here:

Elon Musk Sued for Running DOGE By 14 State Lawyers

But, the basic argument being made in the case is this: since Elon Musk was not confirmed by the Senate, he does not have the right to give orders to anyone inside the executive branch; thus, he should be barred from leading DOGE.

It's a shoddy argument at best, but that isn't stopping these leftists from doing everything they can to stop Elon Musk and DOGE from fulfilling their mandate.

Today, in the first court hearing for the case, a New Mexico lawyer argued the need for an emergency restraining order against Elon Musk in order to bar him from working and getting things done this weekend.

Yep, that's right, these Democrat AGs want to prevent Elon Musk from working this weekend because they are afraid of what he might find...

But, here's where things get interesting.

As unreasonable as Judge Tanya Chutkan appears to be, based on her record of ruling, even she seems skeptical of the arguments these Democrat AGs are making.

Judge Chutkan refused to immediately grant the restraining order request, calling the request too "broad" and warning that "it would essentially bring government to a halt."

Kyle Cheney, a reporter for Poltico, noted:

Chutkan's main issue is the breadth of what states are asking for. She says she understands states concerns given the "unpredctability" and pace of DOGE's actions. But a TRO against Musk and everything he does seems too broad, she says.

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) February 14, 2025

WUSA9 reported:

A federal judge declined Friday to immediately grant a request from 14 states to block Elon Musk and the advisory body he heads from accessing federal government systems, saying they hadn’t proven they faced any irreparable harm.

“The order you’re requesting is incredible broad,” U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan said. “It would essentially bring government to a halt.”

On Thursday, attorneys general from 14 states filed a lawsuit in federal court in D.C. arguing actions taken by Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut government spending and drastically reduce the federal workforce violated the Appointments  Clause of the U.S. Constitution. In their lawsuit, the states said Musk was wielding “virtually unchecked power” without proper authorization from Congress or meaningful supervision.

“As a result, he has transformed a minor position that was formerly responsible for managing government websites into a designated agent of chaos without limitation and in violation of the separation of powers,” the states alleged.

Chutkan, a 2013 Obama appointee who previously presided over the Justice Department’s election subversion case against President Donald Trump, called an emergency hearing Friday afternoon to hear a request from the states to bar Musk and his employees from accessing sensitive government data systems or directing agencies to fire workers. Speaking for the states, Adam Kirschner, a senior assistant attorney general with the Maryland Office of the Attorney General’s federal litigation unit, said Musk was roaming unchecked through the federal government and causing a “constitutional crisis.”

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Federal judges around the country, including in D.C., have issued temporary restraining orders barring or restricting DOGE access to certain federal systems and halting the Trump administration’s efforts to place thousands of foreign service workers on administrative leave. But Chutkan said what the states wanted was far broader than previous orders and would amount to “grinding the government to a halt.”

“You’re essentially asking me to shut down the government,” Chutkan said.

“We’re asking you to shut down a constitutional violation that we haven’t seen in this country,” Kirschner said.

Now, Judge Chutkan has given the AGs a deadline of 5 PM tomorrow to submit a revised restraining order request that proves Elon Musk will do harm if allowed to continue working (lol.)

But, she is not making any guaranteed on approving it.

LAWFARE: Judge Chutkan appeared skeptical of granting a temporary restraining order (TRO) against Elon Musk and DOGE during today's hearing, criticizing the request as overly broad and based on speculative harm. She rebuked Maryland’s attorney for citing media sources like The… pic.twitter.com/YByIYeTPSo

— @amuse (@amuse) February 14, 2025

Salon noted:

While previous orders granted by judges have restricted DOGE's access to data and payment systems at the U.S. Treasury, Chutkan said the states were being too vague in their request.

“You’re essentially asking me to shut down the government,” Chutkan said. “I can’t give prophylactic TROs."

The states seeking to stop Musk will have another shot at getting a restraining order while their lawsuit plays out. Chutkan requested they file another request by Sunday afternoon that better defines the harm that Musk and DOGE could cause.

We'll keep you updated on the case as it develops...