| STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS | Published March 20, 2025
- A federal judge ruled that DOGE can stay at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Fired staff had sued, seeking a restraining order to remove DOGE.
- Judge Howell criticized DOGE for using law enforcement to enter the building but allowed them to remain while requesting a further hearing.
- This legal battle is part of broader legal challenges against the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the size of federal agencies.
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A federal judge has ruled that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) can remain at the U.S. Institute of Peace following a legal battle over access to the building. This decision comes after a previous standoff between fired staff and DOGE officials.
Judge ‘offended’ over law enforcement involvement
U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell criticized DOGE staffers for using law enforcement to gain entry after initially being blocked by former senior officials. Howell stated she was “offended” by the tactics used but ultimately allowed DOGE to remain in place.
DOGE had sought to remove George Moose, the now-former president of the Institute, who was preventing their entry. Moose condemned the action, calling it “an illegal takeover by elements of the executive branch of a private nonprofit corporation.”
The Institute’s status and legal disputes
The U.S. Institute of Peace is classified as an independent nonprofit think tank created and funded by Congress. The Trump administration fired its president and certain board members via email last Friday, March 14. The fired employees responded with legal action, seeking immediate intervention to block DOGE’s takeover.
Judge Howell denied the restraining order request, citing confusion within the emergency lawsuit, but scheduled another hearing to clarify the matter.
Kenneth Jackson, a Trump administration State Department official, was named acting president of the Institute by the remaining board members. However, he and DOGE officials were initially prevented from entering the building.
When they attempted to enter, staff inside called police to report trespassers. Jackson informed law enforcement that unauthorized individuals were inside. Eventually, those individuals left on their own, and police escorted Jackson and DOGE staff inside without any arrests.
Other legal disputes over Trump’s executive order
This legal dispute follows President Trump’s recent executive order aimed at closing the U.S. Institute of Peace and other agencies as part of his broader effort to reduce the size of the federal government. The Institute’s official website describes its mission as preventing violent conflicts and brokering peace agreements worldwide, although it went offline as of Wednesday evening, March 19.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly defended the administration’s actions, stating, “Rogue bureaucrats will not be allowed to hold agencies hostage. The Trump administration will enforce the President’s executive authority and ensure his agencies remain accountable to the American people.”
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SOURCE: www.san.com
RELATED: Obama Judge Denies TRO to Block DOGE From Taking Over Institute of Peace After Standoff – But Claims She’s “Offended” by Treatment of Fired President After He Barricaded Himself in Office
DC Judge Beryl Howell, a rank partisan and unhinged Trump-hater (Screenshot: United States Courts)
| THE GATEWAY PUNDIT | Published March 20, 2025
A federal judge on Wednesday denied a temporary restraining order (TRO) to block DOGE from taking over the Institute of Peace (USIP) after a standoff with law enforcement.
Judge Beryl Howell, an Obama appointee denied the TRO but she blasted DOGE’s treatment of the USIP President and other officials who were escorted out of the building in DC earlier this week.
As previously reported:
On Monday, the fired president, George Moose, refused to leave the Institute of Peace’s building in Washington DC, prompting a standoff with law enforcement.
The Institute of Peace was created in 1984 under the Reagan Administration. George Moose is an old Clintonite who refused to leave after Trump signed an executive order last month reducing the USIP to its “statutory minimum.”
DOGE attempted to evict George Moose and other officials of the USIP on Monday but Musk’s workers were forced to call law enforcement amid a standoff.
Police intervened after Acting USIP President Kenneth Jackson was denied entry.
“MPD members went to the USIP building and contacted an individual who allowed MPD members inside of the building,” the Metro police said. “Once inside of the building, the acting USIP President requested that all the unauthorized individuals inside of the building leave.”
George Moose was escorted out of the building by MPD without incident. No arrests were made.
The US Institute of Peace sued to block DOGE’s takeover.
Judge Beryl Howell on Wednesday denied an emergency TRO but she blasted DOGE for their treatment of USIP president George Moose – who literally barricaded himself in the building after he was fired.
“Are you the least bit offended by how this was executed, Mr. Hudak? I have to say, I’m offended on behalf of the American citizens who have done so much, as I just said, with Mr. Moose himself, so much service to this country to be treated so abominably, let alone the directors on the board,” Judge Howell said to Assistant US Attorney Brian Hudak.
The DOJ official responded to Howell with common sense: “If I’m fired and I decide to barricade myself into the US attorney’s office…I’m assuming some of my colleagues would say, ‘Brian, what are you doing? Here’s your termination letter, you need to leave.’ I’m assuming it would escalate from there…I’m assuming the police would be called.”
Howell wasn’t offended by the petulant USIP official refusing to leave after he was fired from his job. She was offended that DOGE used law enforcement and other forceful yet lawful incentives to remove George Moose.
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SOURCE: www.thegatewaypundit.com
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