A federal court has certified a class action in the case of Does
v. Musk, 2025 BL 291150, D. Md., No. 25-0462-TDC, 8/18/25. The case
involves U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
employees who are part of a mass layoff directed by Elon
Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which
plans to merge USAID with the U.S. State Department. The
certification ensures that the USAID employees may pursue a class
action lawsuit, an increasingly popular form of lawsuit,
considering the U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting the use of
nationwide injunctions.
DOGE notified USAID employees via email on March 28, 2025, that
they would receive reduction-in-force (RIF) notices for separation
by either July 1, 2025, or September 2, 2025. Although DOGE's
actions have faced constant legal challenges, the U.S. Supreme
Court permitted DOGE to access Social Security data back in June,
after Musk's hasty departure in May.
