Suit Filed by Campaign Legal Center
Also Representing OCA, Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists
By P.C. Staff
The Japanese American Citizens League has announced that it and three other organizations have engaged the services of a nonprofit government watchdog to sue businessman Elon Musk and the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, aka DOGE, in federal district court, citing the legal concept of ultra vires over what has been described as a “lawless, unconstitutional power grab.”
The lawsuit, filed by Campaign Legal Center on March 5 in United States District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of JACL, OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates, Sierra Club and Union of Concerned Scientists, alleges that under Musk’s leadership, DOGE has acted illegally to “slash federal funding, dismantle federal agencies and fire federal employees.”
According to CLC, Musk’s “direction of DOGE’s activities and the significant authority he exercises is entirely lawless. He has no authority under the Constitution or federal law to cut spending or terminate employees. These actions violate the constitutional separation of powers: Congress, not Musk, has control over federal spending.”
In its statement, JACL said: “Neither Elon Musk nor DOGE have the lawful authority to exercise the sweeping power that they currently wield in the federal government. However, since President Trump created DOGE and placed Elon Musk at its helm, Musk has exercised significant unconstitutional authority and taken control over our agencies and our funding systems. This illegal and reckless control over the federal government has upended the lives of countless individuals, both within the United States and abroad.”
Musk, the multibillionaire whose businesses include Tesla and Space X, was the biggest donor to Trump’s presidential campaign and has been described as the world’s richest man. DOGE was created by executive order after Trump returned to the White House on Jan. 20, and it has since run roughshod through several federal agencies by closing facilities, intimidating and terminating employees, accessing sensitive data and more, purportedly to curtail wasteful spending.
JACL Executive Director David Inoue said, “JACL joins this lawsuit to stop DOGE from making reckless cuts that will directly impact national historic sites under the National Park Service that are among those where over 125,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans were unjustly incarcerated during WWII.
“These sites honor those who were incarcerated and serve as a legacy to our children so that future generations of Americans will understand the unfortunate and preventable capacity for our government to act maliciously against a group of people such as ours.”
Regarding what DOGE has done thus far, OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates Executive Director Thu Nguyen said, “The reckless budget cuts at the Department of Education are a direct assault on Pell Grant recipients, student organizations, and AANAPISI institutions that are vital to advancing educational equity.”
Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous said, “We are taking DOGE to court to defend Americans’ ability to safely and freely access the landscapes that unite us.”
Union of Concerned Scientists President Gretchen Goldman said, “DOGE’s actions have interfered with life-saving research and scientific collaboration on cancer, vaccines, extreme weather and more. They have pulled funding for job-boosting clean technology initiatives and fired civil servants who enforce laws that protect us from air, water and climate pollution.”
Published reports have estimated that DOGE cut more than 62,000 jobs in February across 18 federal departments and agencies. Meantime, DOGE has claimed to have saved taxpayers some $105 billion in its first six weeks.
Black’s Law Dictionary defines the Latin phrase “ultra vires” as “beyond the powers (of),” or beyond the scope of power allowed or granted by a corporate charter or by law.
The case is Halting Elon Musk and DOGE’s Lawless Control of the Government (Japanese American Citizens League et al. v. Musk et al.)
JACL’s statement about the lawsuit can be viewed on its website at tinyurl.com/mpnjbk6j.
A PDF of the complaint can be viewed and downloaded at tinyurl.com/3jrurk77.
To join JACL, visit jacl.org/member.
