WASHINGTON: A federal judge in Washington ruled on Monday that the Trump administration illegally ousted leaders of the US Institute of Peace, calling the effort a gross usurpation of power.

In her decision, US District Judge Beryl Howell said Republican President Donald Trump overstepped his power when his administration removed five board members without cause from the nonprofit organisation, which is funded by the US Congress.

The administrations efforts to control the direction of the Institute of Peace became a public standoff in March, when some staff of the organisation locked the buildings doors to bar members of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, from entering.

Local police were called and subsequently expelled the organisations leadership, including its president. The White House and Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and neither did lawyers for the board members who sued.

The Institute was founded by Congress in 1984 with a mandate to protect US interests by helping to prevent violent conflicts and broker peace deals abroad.

Howell said the administrations move to control the group by acts of force and threat using local and federal law enforcement officers, represented a gross usurpation of power and a way of conducting government affairs that unnecessarily traumatised the committed leadership and employees of USIP, who deserved better.

The Justice Department, which had argued the board members were lawfully removed, can appeal Howells order to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Howell in March ruled against the Institutes request for a temporary, emergency order to stop the Trump administration from controlling the organisation.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2025