Federal Judge Blocks DOGE’s Access to Sensitive Personal Data

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has issued a ruling temporarily preventing Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing sensitive personal information held by three federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Department of the Treasury. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman‘s decision stems from concerns over compliance with federal privacy laws and was announced on Monday.

Boardman stated that federal agencies must follow legal protocols when implementing executive orders, regardless of the urgency of the DOGE agenda. “No matter how important or urgent the President’s DOGE agenda may be, federal agencies must execute it in accordance with the law,” she wrote in her ruling. This injunction arises from a lawsuit filed by a coalition of labor unions and advocacy groups representing federal employees and veterans.

The judge noted that access granted to DOGE affiliates—defined as individuals involved in implementing the DOGE agenda—was done without adherence to privacy protections established under the Privacy Act. This act, enacted 50 years ago, restricts the disclosure of personally identifiable information collected by federal agencies.

In her opinion, Boardman emphasized that “those concerns are just as salient today” as they were when the Privacy Act was created, referencing Congress’s awareness of the potential for government misuse of citizens’ private data.

According to the court documents, the broad access to personal information was granted in the wake of an Executive Order issued on the first day of Trump’s second term, which directed federal agencies to provide DOGE employees with access to current records. However, Boardman pointed out that this order likely led to inadvertent violations of the Administrative Procedure Act as well.

In a separate but related ruling, U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander issued a temporary restraining order barring DOGE staff from further access to the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) data systems containing sensitive personal information of millions of Americans. Judge Hollander described DOGE’s activities at the SSA as resembling a fishing expedition in search of fraud, which lacked sufficient justification.

The lawsuit, which included testimony from former SSA officials, contended that DOGE’s access to this sensitive data posed serious privacy risks. Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, remarked, “Today, the court did what accountability demands—forcing DOGE to delete every trace of the data it unlawfully accessed.”

Opponents, however, argue that the government has justified its actions to combat perceived fraud within federal programs. Musk has characterized Social Security as a significant target for reform, lamenting inefficiencies and abuses within the system. The White House had not responded immediately to requests for comments regarding the decisions by the federal judiciary.

As of the latest reports, over 120 lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration’s actions since his second term began. Many of these lawsuits come from labor unions, advocacy groups, and local jurisdictions concerned about civil rights and privacy issues.