With Trump securing his second term as president, political tensions have escalated. He has signed numerous executive orders aligned with his MAGA agenda, but these actions have sparked legal challenges.
Elon Musk, leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is urging the GOP-controlled Congress to launch a “wave of impeachments” against federal judges. This comes after a D.C. court ordered the Trump administration to restore health data that had been removed from government websites.
Musk responded on X, criticizing U.S. District Judge John Bates, who issued the temporary order. “There needs to be an immediate wave of judicial impeachments, not just one,” Musk wrote.
Bates’ ruling followed Trump’s executive order banning the government from promoting “gender ideology.” The court sided with Doctors for America (DFA), who argued that removing the data violated federal law.
Trump contended that judges were overstepping their authority by obstructing his agenda, raising concerns about whether his administration would comply with court decisions. According to Reuters, Trump later assured reporters that while he would follow legal rulings, he planned to appeal those that interfered with his policies and Musk’s efforts to cut government waste.
“We want to root out corruption. And it’s hard to believe a judge would say we can’t do that,” Trump stated. “Maybe we need to take a closer look at the judges.”
On Truth Social, Trump voiced his frustration, writing: “DOGE has found massive amounts of FRAUD, WASTE, INCOMPETENCE, AND ABUSE, but a highly political, activist Judge wants us to immediately make payment anyway. In other words, pay—even though you know the payment was fraudulently requested. DOGE caught them—the Judge just doesn’t care. It doesn’t make sense!!!”
There needs to be an immediate wave of judicial impeachments, not just one https://t.co/3guKf3BBOk
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 12, 2025
The case revolved around whether DOGE and its employees should have access to sensitive data on millions of Americans. Judge Bates determined that for DOGE to have such authority, it needed to be legally recognized as a federal agency.
In the end, Bates ruled that DOGE does meet the criteria to be considered a federal agency, granting it access to sensitive records from three key departments: the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Musk later celebrated the ruling as a victory in a post on X.