US govt employees taking Elon Musk to court over ‘demand for accountability’

Attorneys representing federal employees have filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk, alleging that his recent directive for employees to justify their weekly accomplishments or face termination is unlawful, the AP has reported.

The lawsuit, submitted in a California federal court, seeks to halt the mass layoffs associated with this directive, which was disseminated via an email from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on Saturday, 22 February. This email required employees to detail five tasks they completed in the previous week by the end of Monday, 24 February.

In response to the directive, several government agencies, including the FBI and the Pentagon, advised their employees that compliance was optional.

The OPM later clarified that employees were not obligated to adhere to Musk's ultimatum.

Despite the pushback, President Donald Trump has expressed support for Musk's approach, emphasising the need for accountability within the federal workforce.

In a related legal development, a federal judge in Maryland has temporarily barred the US Department of Education and the OPM from sharing sensitive personal information with representatives of Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) without consent.

This ruling came after unions and employee groups argued that such disclosures likely violate the Privacy Act.

These events underscore the escalating tensions between Musk's initiatives to streamline government operations and the legal protections afforded to federal employees.

With AP/PTI inputs