Leaders of the American Peace Institute regained control of the office weeks after being expelled from their posts by the Trump administration and the Department of Efficiency in March.

A dramatic turn of events followed the incident by U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell Monday's ruling Taking over USIP is “illegal” and is carried out by “leaders of illegal installations.” Howell further ruled that the action was "ineffective". The judge ruled after USIP leaders sued the government.

Acting President George Moose addressed reporters at an impromptu press conference on the steps of the USIP building on Wednesday.

"We are now back in the building and we intend to restore management and custodians," Moos said. "It's not just the platform we've been doing our work. It's a symbol of the desire and intention of the American people, seen in the world as a peace convener."

Howell's ruling was a two-month legal battle after USIP employees were forcibly evacuated from the organization's building with the help of the Metropolitan Police Department Washington, D.C.

The chain of events began on February 19, when President Trump issued an executive order of 14217, declaring USIP “unnecessary” and ending its leadership, the majority of its 300 employees and its entire board of directors. The organization was created by Congress as an "independent non-profit company."

A month later, this set the stage for a dramatic standoff between USIP leadership and Doge, a cost-cutting team run by billionaire Elon Musk. USIP spokesman Liz Callihan said Doge's representatives gained access to the building with the help of a private security company. During the standoff, Moos issued a statement saying: "Mano has broken into our building."

On March 17, Doge seized control of the institute's headquarters and the newly installed president transferred ownership of the building to the Government Services Administration, which oversees the signing of the federal government and effectively acts as a landlord. The building is dedicated to accommodating USIP construction and is paid through funds donated by public and private.

USIP lawyer George Foote also spoke at a press conference Wednesday. “The institute is the legal owner of the building and George (Moose) is the legal acting president…the effect of the judge’s order is to prohibit everything that started from the president dismissing our board…so it never happened.”

USIP was established by Congress 41 years ago. Its mission is to provide analysis, education and resources to those working for peace around the world and to reduce the chances of the U.S. government falling into foreign conflict. In recent years, USIP employees have been increasingly deployed to hot zones overseas, where they are involved in conflict resolution between belligerent parties, including Iraq and Papua New Guinea.

The Justice Department has not pointed out whether it plans to appeal Judge Howell's ruling. A White House spokeswoman said in response to Howell's decision: "President Trump is right to reduce failures like USIP, and useless entities are reduced to their statutory minimums, and the attempt by the rogue judge to hinder the separation of power is not the last say in the issue."

Ahn'yae Hedgepeth contributed to the report.