LEGAL UPDATE: Shock and Awe vs. Trump
*Special Alert from the Contrarian*
Donald Trump and his shadow-president, Elon Musk, might be doing everything they can to “flood the zone,” but a coalition of democracy defenders is proving that it takes more than a couple of billionaire bros to defeat the rule of law.
Late last night, a coalition including The Contrarian’s resident litigator-in-chief, Publisher Norm Eisen, brought suit against the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on behalf of the more than 2 million federal employees whose safety and privacy have been violated by Musk and co.’s illegal and unauthorized access of OPM’s personnel data.
This is the latest salvo in the developing shock-and-awe campaign of resistance against DOGE’s attempted coup and Trump’s unconstitutional executive orders. More than fifty lawsuits have already been brought by unions, governors, individual federal employees, attorneys general and more. “They say it takes a village,” says Norm. “Well, it takes a coalition to defend democracy and rule of law.”
The results are rolling in. Last week, a federal judge temporarily blocked DOGE from accessing a critical Treasury payment system under a similar lawsuit. Other wins in recent days include a block on Trump’s attempted assault on birthright citizenship and an emergency order to prevent the doxxing of nearly 6000 FBI employees. These rulings have been delivered by judges appointed under Republican and Democrat administrations alike—because to Americans who care, the fight against autocracy is a bipartisan issue.
Watch Norm and Jen discuss the latest here: Breaking! Coalition of government employees and unions sue OPM & DOGE. And thank you, Contrarians, for joining us in the fight for our nation’s future.
If you have been unfairly impacted by the Musk–Trump administration's chaos, we want to hear from you. And as always, please continue to share your thoughts with us and each other below!
I’m gratified by all the lawsuits, but concerned about how the rulings will be enforced. Both Trump and Musk have no respect for the law.
I have talked to cancer patients who are in remission due to research trials. I just talked to someone whose husband's cystic fibrosis is under control due to having had access to a trial. I think getting the names of patients whose trials have been cancelled and representing their interests would be a worthy endeavor.