- The DOJ plans to drop a lawsuit against SpaceX that alleged discrimination in its hiring practices.
- The lawsuit, filed in 2023, said SpaceX discriminated against refugees and asylees for years.
- The DOJ has asked that a federal judge in Texas lift a pause in the case so it can file a dismissal.
The Justice Department says it plans to drop a lawsuit it filed against SpaceX in 2023.
The lawsuit alleged that Elon Musk's rocket company violated the Immigration and Nationality Act from September 2018 to May 2022 by discriminating against refugees and asylees.
SpaceX quickly sued to block the case, and proceedings were paused as both sides prepared to argue their case in court.
On Thursday, the Justice Department asked a federal judge in Texas to lift the stay in the initial lawsuit so it could file its notice dismissing the case.
"Defendants respectfully request that the Court lift the stay on the administrative proceeding for 30 days solely for the purpose of allowing the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division to file a notice of dismissal of the administrative proceeding with prejudice and to allow the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer to process the notice," the filing says.
The Justice Department says that if the case is dismissed after 30 days, it will then move to SpaceX's case against the government, and "SpaceX will not oppose that relief."
The original lawsuit against SpaceX said that the rocket company discouraged asylees and refugees from applying to positions by falsely stating in job postings that it could only hire US citizens.
It also quoted a 2020 tweet from Musk, in which the billionaire wrote that "US law requires at least a green card" to be hired at SpaceX since rockets are "advanced weapons and technology."
The Justice Department said at the time his claim was untrue.
Lawyers for the DOJ and SpaceX didn't immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider.
Musk is closely linked to the White House DOGE office, an initiative to cut costs that has targeted agencies ranging from the Energy Department to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
This story will be updated.
