A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from taking any further steps to shut down the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

In a ruling Tuesday, Judge Theodore Chuang said the efforts led by Trump ally Elon Musk’s Department for Government Efficiency (Doge) to close the agency likely violated the US constitution “in multiple ways”.

Chuang ordered Doge to restore access to USAID’s computer and payment systems for employees, including those who were placed on leave.

The judge also ruled that termination of USAID employees should stop, but did not order the reinstating of employees previously placed on leave.

The ruling came in a case brought on behalf of 26 unnamed USAID employees who allege in court filings that Musk is following “a predictable and reckless slash-and-burn pattern” in dismantling US government departments.

In a complaint filed on 13 February, lawyers for the employees argued that Musk’s power is illegitimate – as he has not been officially nominated to a government post nor confirmed by the US Senate – and asked for Doge’s activities to be halted and reversed.

USAID was one of the first agencies targeted by Doge for cuts shortly after Trump re-entered the White House in January and ordered a 90-day freeze of all US foreign aid.

Musk and Doge argued in court documents that Musk’s role is advisory only.

But Judge Chuang ruled that Musk and Doge exerted control over USAID and in doing so “likely violated the United States Constitution in multiple ways, and that these actions harmed not only plaintiffs, but also the public interest.”

It’s unclear what effect the ruling will have on USAID operations. Administration officials have said that more than 80% of its activities have been halted.

The Trump administration criticised Tuesday’s ruling.

“Rogue judges are subverting the will of the American people in their attempts to stop President Trump from carrying out his agenda,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said, calling the decision a “miscarriage of justice” and vowing to appeal.

Norm Eisen, executive chair of State Democracy Defenders Fund which represented the USAID employees, called the ruling “a milestone in pushing back on Musk and Doge’s illegality”.

“They are performing surgery with a chainsaw instead of a scalpel, harming not just the people USAID serves but the majority of Americans who count on the stability of our government,” Eisen said.

The ruling is the latest legal setback for the Trump administration. On Monday, another federal judge ordered a halt to the deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members.

The judge in that case questioned Department of Justice lawyers about why his order, issued when several deportation flights were in the air, was not immediately implemented and followed.

President Trump called for the impeachment of the judge in that case, which prompted a rare rebuke from the chief justice of the US Supreme Court.