A congressionally-backed U.S. nonprofit institute has regained access to its headquarters after a federal judge declared "null and void" the seizure of the property by tech billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency task force, CBS News reported on Wednesday evening.
The new developments for the U.S. Institute of Peace "happened in the wake of U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell's ruling on Monday that the takeover of USIP was 'unlawful' and conducted by 'illegitimately-installed leaders,'" said the report. "Howell further ruled that the action was 'null and void.' The judge ruled after USIP's leaders sued the government."
USIP's employees were kicked out of the building, located in Washington, D.C., two months ago with the help of D.C.'s Metropolitan Police, initially kicking off the legal battle.
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"We are now back in the building and we intend to resume our stewardship and custodianship," said USIP's acting president, George Moose, in a statement. "It is not just the platform from which we've been doing our work. It is a symbol of the aspirations and the intent of the American people to be seen and to be peacemaker in the world."
As DOGE has tried to access various agencies, it has faced an avalanche of litigation. Moreover, this is not the only case of DOGE trying to interfere with an entity outside of the executive branch; a showdown is heating up as they try to access the congressionally-overseen Government Accountability Office.
Musk himself, who was one of President Donald Trump's key benefactors in the 2024 election and served as the de facto leader of DOGE throughout the administration's early days, is stepping back from his White House advisory role to focus again on his tech companies.
He has also suggested he will cease making political contributions for now, saying, "I've done enough," which follows the disastrous failure of his organizing blitz on behalf of the GOP-endorsed conservative candidate in this year's Wisconsin Supreme Court election.