Maryland has joined multiple other states in a lawsuit challenging Elon Musk’s power under President Donald Trump’s administration.
The lawsuit filed Thursday states, “In recent weeks, Defendant Elon Musk, with President Donald J. Trump’s approval, has roamed through the federal government unraveling agencies, accessing sensitive data, and causing mass chaos and confusion for state and local governments, federal employees, and the American people.”
Musk heads the new U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Trump created following his inauguration. According to the U.S. Constitution, the president cannot create a federal office on his own — Congress can create a federal office, and the Senate must confirm nominees.
So, the lawsuit calls Musk’s actions unconstitutional — “Mr. Musk does not occupy an office of the United States and has not had his nomination for an office confirmed by the Senate. His officer-level actions are thus unconstitutional.”
Per a release, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown seeks a ruling “declaring Musk’s actions unconstitutional and an injunction barring him from issuing orders to any person in the Executive Branch outside of DOGE, as well as invalidating his previous actions.”
The other states joining the lawsuit are Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Vermont.
