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Federal Judge Blocks Access to Sensitive Data by Government Efficiency Staffers
A protest takes place in White Plains, New York, against the cuts made by the Trump administration to the Social Security Administration on March 22, 2025.
A U.S. District Judge has denied the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) officials access to sensitive personal information pertaining to millions of Americans, marking a significant ruling aimed at protecting individual privacy rights.
Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday, effectively restraining DOGE from accessing sensitive data held by the Social Security Administration (SSA). This decision requires that DOGE comply with specific legal protocols when seeking information from the SSA, particularly affecting those agency workers engaged in the DOGE initiative.
The litigation was spearheaded by a coalition of labor organizations, including the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers, and Alliance for Retired Americans, who are represented by Democracy Forward, a national legal advocacy group.
The plaintiffs contend that DOGE’s activities infringe upon several federal statutes, including the Privacy Act, Social Security Act, Internal Revenue Code, and the Administrative Procedure Act.
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The defendants in this case include the Social Security Administration itself, acting commissioner Leland Dudek, SSA chief information officer Michael Russo or his successor, senior advisor to the president Elon Musk, and DOGE acting administrator Amy Gleason.
The court ruling explicitly prohibits the SSA and its personnel from granting access to systems that house personally identifiable information, which encompasses Social Security numbers, medical and mental health records, employer and employee payment histories, earnings, addresses, bank details, tax data, and family court information.
Additionally, the order mandates that DOGE and its affiliates must dispose of and delete any non-anonymized personal data in their possession since January 20. They are also barred from installing software on SSA systems and must undo any installations made since that date. Furthermore, they cannot access, modify, or disclose the SSA’s computer systems or software code.
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, stated, “The court’s ruling sends a clear message: no one can bypass the law to raid government data systems for their own purposes.” She emphasized the group’s commitment to collaborate with partners to ensure that DOGE’s excesses are permanently curtailed and that individuals’ rights are safeguarded.
Interestingly, the injunction does permit DOGE staff to access redacted data, provided they complete requisite training and background evaluations.
A temporary restraining order provided by Hollander on March 20 has now been vacated and replaced by this latest ruling. Previous attempts by the Trump administration to appeal this temporary order were not successful.
In a response to the ruling, White House spokesperson Elizabeth Huston expressed intentions to appeal, asserting, “The American people gave President Trump a clear mandate to uproot waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government. The Trump Administration will continue to fight to fulfill this mandate.”
The Social Security Administration has not yet provided a comment regarding this recent court decision.
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