Judge bars Trump administration from closing US peace institute, says it takeover by DOGE 'illegal'

A US federal judge on Monday blocked the Donald Trump administration from moving forward with its "dismantling" of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).

Also Read | DOGE's $500M USIP headquarters takeover sparks legal showdown

District court judge Beryl Howell also ruled the think tank was taken over "illegally" by the federal government's Elon Musk-led DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) through "blunt force," backed up by law enforcement officers from three separate local and federal agencies.

USIP, created and funded by the Congress to focus on resolving violent conflicts around the globe, was taken over by DOGE in March.

Also Read | 'DOGE broke into our building': Trump administration ousts US Institute of Peace's leadership

"The institute ultimately exercises no Executive branch power under the Constitution but operates, through research, educational teaching, and scholarship, in the sensitive area of global peace. In creating it, the Congress struck a careful balance between political accountability, on the one hand, and partisan independence and stability, on the other," judge Howell said, according to news agency AP.

"As such, the Constitution makes clear that the president's constitutional authority only extends as far as Article II, but even Article II does not grant him (President Trump) absolute removal authority over his subordinates, under current binding caselaw precedent," she added.

Further, Howell cited the "uniqueness" of the organization, saying the president "second-guessed" the judgment of the Congress and then-President Ronald Reagan in creating the institute 40 years ago, and the judgment of every Congress since.

She declared that because the removal of the board by the administration is "illegal," all subsequent actions are "null and void."

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, filed by USIP's acting president and CEO, George Moose, and former board members, had maintained the institute was established by law as an "independent, nonprofit organization." The plaintiffs also argud that the firing of the board members did not meet any of the steps required by the law which created the organization.

Earlier, two requests by the plaintiffs for restraining orders were denied- one to halt the sacking of the board and another to stop the administration from taking over the institute's headquarters.

'USIP is useless as it has failed to deliver peace': White House

In an email, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said "the United States Institute of Peace has existed for 40 years on a $50 million annual budget, but failed to deliver peace. President Trump is right to reduce failed, useless entities like USIP to their statutory minimum, and this rogue judge's attempt to impede on the separation of powers will not be the last say on the matter."

The federal government has 30 days to file a notice of appeal.