A federal judge issued a ruling on Monday, preventing billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing the private data of individuals via the Education Department, the Treasury Department, and the Office of Personnel Management. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman granted a preliminary injunction in response to a lawsuit brought forth by a coalition of labor unions, led by the American Federation of Teachers. The case, filed in a Maryland federal court, argued that the Trump administration breached federal privacy laws by allowing DOGE to access personal information of millions of Americans without their consent.
Boardman, appointed to the federal bench by former President Joe Biden, had earlier imposed a temporary restraining order against the data access. The preliminary injunction extends this prohibition, granting a longer-term solution as the legal proceedings continue. The judge indicated that the Trump administration likely infringed on the law, noting that the government did not sufficiently justify DOGE’s need for access to “millions of records” for their responsibilities.
She further emphasized that the administration could still accomplish the president’s objectives without unrestricted access to sensitive data belonging to federal employees, student loan recipients, and those receiving government benefits, which includes information such as Social Security numbers, income details, and home addresses. “They trusted the federal government to safeguard their information. That public trust likely has been breached,” Boardman noted in her written opinion.
The lawsuit accused the Trump administration of misusing sensitive data beyond its intended purposes, thus violating the Privacy Act. According to the complaint, DOGE was accessing student loan data, allegedly aimed at dismantling the Education Department rather than maintaining the federal student loan program. Recently, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to eliminate the department, suggesting that student loans and disability-related programs be managed by other federal entities.
The government claims that DOGE aims to reduce federal waste by targeting fraud and enhancing technology. However, the American Federation of Teachers, which represents 1.8 million members in education, healthcare, and government, along with other plaintiffs, argues against this claim. The lawsuit includes six individuals holding sensitive data in federal systems, including veterans with federal student loans and benefits.
Additional support for the suit came from the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. The injunction, which might be contested, currently safeguards only the personal information of the plaintiffs and organization members. Judge Boardman stated, “No matter how important or urgent the President’s DOGE agenda may be, federal agencies must execute it in accordance with the law,” signifying that this requirement might not have been met in this case.
Concurrently, in a different Maryland case, another judge has temporarily restricted DOGE’s access to Social Security databases, which also contain extensive personal information.