DC Circuit Court of Appeal Hits Pause on DOGE’s Document Order

Judge Chutkan wanted Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to release documents about their plan to shrink the government.

And she also wanted to dox DOGE workers, in a sense.

But a DC Circuit Court of Appeal blocked Chutkan’s order.

They’re saying she needs to decide if the Trump-era lawsuit gets tossed first. 

So for now, Thursday’s hearing is off the calendar as Chutkan decides what her plan is next.

🚨BREAKING: Judge Tanya Chutkan, appointed by Obama, has ruled to permit state attorneys general to uncover and release the identities of additional DOGE staff.

To put it bluntly, a federal judge has effectively endorsed the doxxing and harassment of Elon Musk’s team. pic.twitter.com/i5uOKvhIKK

— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) March 12, 2025

JUST IN: The DC Circuit has *blocked* Judge Chutkan's order for discovery against DOGE, saying she should rule on the administration's motion to dismiss the case first. pic.twitter.com/sh92qCNaK5

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) March 26, 2025

The Hill reports:

A federal appeals court on Wednesday temporarily blocked an order from U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan directing Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to turn over records and answer questions about its efforts to slash the federal bureaucracy.

A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted a stay of Chutkan’s directive, suggesting that the lower court judge must rule on the Trump administration’s motion to dismiss before allowing any discovery. It’s not a final ruling on whether DOGE must eventually turn over the records.

Soon after the panel’s decision, Chutkan canceled a status hearing scheduled for Thursday.

Chutkan’s order granting discovery marked the first time a judge ordered Musk to produce documents in a legal challenge to his and DOGE’s efforts to downsize the federal government and cut costs.

She said her order was meant to allow identification of DOGE personnel and “the parameters of DOGE’s and Musk’s authority.”

The request for information about DOGE came in a lawsuit by a coalition of states, led by New Mexico, which claims Musk’s vast role heading DOGE is unconstitutional since he wasn’t confirmed by the Senate. They’re seeking to block DOGE from accessing seven federal agencies.

ADVERTISEMENT

Though the billionaire tech mogul is said to be leading DOGE’s sweeping cost-cutting efforts, the White House has maintained that Musk is not technically a part of DOGE, instead serving as a senior adviser to the president.

Chutkan, an appointee of former President Biden who also oversaw the federal election subversion criminal case against President Trump, previously declined to grant the request from the14 Democratic state attorneys general for a temporary restraining order after finding they had not made the necessary showing of irreparable harm.

Might be a good time to remind everyone that Judge Chutkan wasn’t even born here.

John Graves posted:

There are 15 judges in D.C. District Court. FIVE of them are foreign-born. All 5 are involved in cases against President Trump and his administration.

Judge Tanya Chutkan – born in Jamaica. No previous experience as a judge. Overseeing legal challenge to DOGE.

Judge Amit Mehta – born in India. No experience as a judge. Overseeing four Jan. 6 civil cases.

ADVERTISEMENT

Judge Ana Reyes – born in Uruguay. LGBT. No prior experience as a judge. Blocked Trump’s Executive Order on trans people in the military.

Judge Amir Ali – born in Canada to Egyptian parents. Became a citizen in 2019. No experience as a judge. Outspoken about Trump. Restored $2B in USAID foreign spending.

Judge Sparkle Sooknanan – born in Trinidad and Tabago. No judge experience. Ordered the reinstatement of Democrat Susan Grundmann to the Federal Labor Relations Authority, keeping the board a Democrat majority.

Troubling that Obama and Biden appointed so many DC lifetime appointed federal judges – and they are the ones fighting what the American people elected Trump to do with DOGE, illegal immigration, etc.

There are 15 judges in D.C. District Court. FIVE of them are foreign-born. All 5 are involved in cases against President Trump and his administration.

Judge Tanya Chutkan – born in Jamaica. No previous experience as a judge. Overseeing legal challenge to DOGE.

Judge Amit… pic.twitter.com/MF32LRTxdC

— John Graves (@JohnGravesLive) March 26, 2025