Who is Theodore Chuang? Judge rules Elon Musk's DOGE-led USAID shutdown was likely unconstitutional
ByVaishnavi Vaidyanathan
Mar 19, 2025 01:23 AM IST
US District Judge Theodore Chuang ruled that Elon Musk's DOGE likely violated the US Constitution in their attempt to shut down USAID.
US District Judge Theodore Chuang on Tuesday issued an indefinite injunction blocking the shutdown of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), ruling that Elon Musk and the White House's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) likely violated the US Constitution in their attempt to dismantle the agency. The ruling favored a group of unnamed current and former USAID employees and contractors who had challenged the efforts to shut down the agency, AP reported.
US District Judge Theodore Chuang ruled against Elon Musk's DOGE. (Pixabay)
US District Judge Theodore Chuang ruled against Elon Musk's DOGE. (Pixabay)
“The Court finds that Defendants' actions taken to shut down USAID on an accelerated basis, including its apparent decision to permanently close USAID headquarters without the approval of a duly appointed USAID Officer, likely violated the United States Constitution in multiple ways, and that these actions harmed not only Plaintiffs, but also the public interest, because they deprived the public's elected representatives in Congress of their constitutional authority to decide whether, when, and how to close down an agency created by Congress,” the judge ruled.
“Accordingly, the Motion for a Preliminary Injunction will be GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART. The Motion will be granted in that the Court will issue the accompanying Preliminary Injunction. The Motion will be otherwise denied. A separate Order shall issue.”
As part of the ruling, Judge Chuang ordered Musk and the task force to restore access to email, payment systems, and other electronic resources for all current USAID employees and contractors. The judge also prohibited the Trump administration from taking further steps related to the USAID shutdown, including placing employees on administrative leave, firing workers, shutting down buildings or offices, and deleting website content.
Who is Theodore Chuang?
Judge Theodore Chuang, born in Media, Pennsylvania, and raised in Lexington, Massachusetts, graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1994.
According to the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, he began his legal career as a trial attorney in the US Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division from 1995 to 1998. Following that, he clerked for Judge Dorothy W. Nelson of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals before serving as an Assistant US Attorney in the District of Massachusetts’ Criminal Division from 1998 to 2004.
Judge Chuang transitioned to private practice with Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, LLP, in Washington, D.C., from 2004 to 2007. He also held various positions, including Deputy Chief Investigative Counsel for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Chief Investigative Counsel for the US House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce.
He served as Associate General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) before his nomination as US District Judge for the District of Maryland in 2013. He was confirmed by President Obama and commissioned in May 2014. Judge Chuang currently serves at the US Courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland.
rec-icon Recommended Topics
Share this article
Elon Musk
Usaid
Read breaking news, latest updates from United States on topics related to politics, crime, along with national affairs. Stay up to date with news developments on Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
See More
Read breaking news, latest updates from United States on topics related to politics, crime, along with national affairs. Stay up to date with news developments on Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.