Federal Judge Denies Government-Funded Nonprofit’s Request for Restraining Order Against DOGE

On Wednesday, a federal judge ruled against a government-funded nonprofit group that tried to demand a restraining order against the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) over its ongoing efforts to reduce the size of government.

As Fox News reports, the U.S. Institute for Peace (USIP) had filed its request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) on Tuesday, claiming without evidence that DOGE was guilty of “literal trespass and takeover by force…of the Institute’s headquarters building on Constitution Avenue.” It also baselessly accused the advisory board of  “ongoing destruction of the Institute’s physical and electronic property.”

In his ruling the next day, Judge Beryl Howell denied the group’s TRO request, saying that “I think there is confusion in the complaint that make me uncomfortable.”

“I would say I am very offended by how DOGE has operated in the Institute in treating American citizens,” Howell conceded in her ruling. “But that concern about how this has gone down is not one that can sway me in the consideration of factors for TRO, which is emergency relief, which is exceptional.”

Howell also stated her belief that the plaintiffs would not succeed if their case were to move forward, emphasizing that “two of the most important tests, likely to succeed on the merits and likely to suffer irreparable harm, are just a stretch here.”

Judge Howell was appointed as a senior judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 2024 by Joe Biden.

USIP was founded in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan, with the stated goal of “[protecting] U.S. interests by helping to prevent violent conflicts and broker peace deals abroad.” While it is is an independent institution and not technically a government agency, it is funded by Congress, thus making it fall under DOGE’s purview as an example of potentially wasteful government spending.

USIP had resisted previous efforts by the Trump Administration to reduce waste in the federal government, including a refusal to shrink its own size to the minimum required by an executive order in February. As a result, President Trump fired 11 of its 14 board members last week. The only three that were spared were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and National Defense University President Peter Garvin.

DOGE, led by Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk, has been tasked with eliminating federal jobs that are considered unnecessary, cutting spending that is deemed wasteful, and to target entire agencies for complete abolition if they are determined to be redundant or obsolete. The advisory board has vowed to complete its work by July 4th, 2026, which will be the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.