The United States Institute of Peace (USIP), an independent non-profit established by Congress 40 years ago, is asking a federal judge to immediately block the Department of Government Efficiency's attempted forced shutdown of the organization.

The lawsuit filed late Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Washington describes the lengths that institute staff resorted to, including calling the police, in an effort to prevent DOGE representatives and others working with the Trump administration from accessing the headquarters near the State Department.

DOGE, which stands for Department of Government Efficiency, took over the U.S. Institute of Peace after threatening its officials with criminal prosecution.