A federal judge has shut down Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E) from gaining access to Social Security records, ruling that the operation was an unjustified data grab.
Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander, in a decision issued Thursday from the U.S. District Court in Baltimore, blocked Musk’s team from retrieving personally identifiable information (PII) from the Social Security Administration (SSA), saying they failed to give any valid reason for the request.
The ruling prevents SSA’s acting Commissioner Leland Dudek, Chief Information Officer Michael Russo, and all SSA employees from allowing D.O.G.E into any system containing personal data. Hollander described D.O.G.E’s request as an overreach, accusing them of conducting a “fishing expedition” with no clear justification. The court also ordered D.O.G.E and its affiliates to delete all personal data they had already obtained since January 20.
Hollander: D.O.G.E had no reason for mass data access
Hollander made it clear that Musk’s team never explained why they needed unrestricted entry into SSA records. The judge criticized the defendants for seeking access to an enormous range of private details, including Social Security numbers, employment histories, tax filings, medical records, and bank information.
“The defendants, with so-called experts on the D.O.G.E team, never identify or articulate a reason why D.O.G.E needs unlimited access to SSA’s entire record systems, thereby exposing personal, confidential, sensitive, and private information that millions of Americans entrusted to their government,” Hollander wrote.
Hollander also pointed out the hypocrisy of Musk’s team. While D.O.G.E affiliates had worked to keep their own identities hidden, citing privacy concerns, they were at the same time demanding access to the private records of millions of Americans.
“The defense does not appear to share a privacy concern for the millions of Americans whose SSA records were made available to the D.O.G.E affiliates, without their consent,” she wrote.
The lawsuit that led to the ruling was filed by several labor unions and retiree groups, including the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the Alliance for Retired Americans, and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). They argued that allowing D.O.G.E into SSA’s databases would be an extreme violation of privacy and expose personal data to potential misuse.
White House fights back, plaintiffs say ruling upholds privacy rights
The White House wasted no time responding. Harrison Fields, a spokesman for the Trump administration, blasted the ruling, calling Hollander a “radical leftist” and accusing her of blocking efforts to improve government efficiency.
“The President will continue to seek all legal remedies available to ensure the will of the American people goes into effect,” Fields said in a statement.
SSA acknowledged the ruling, stating simply: “We will work to comply with the court order.”
Hollander took further issue with D.O.G.E’s justification, noting that they failed to propose any targeted approach. Instead, they argued that they needed “modernization” and “fraud prevention”, but never explained why full, unrestricted access to SSA’s records was necessary.
“The government simply repeats its incantation of a need to modernize the system and uncover fraud,” she wrote. “Its method of doing so is tantamount to hitting a fly with a sledgehammer.”
According to Hollander, the plaintiffs are “likely to succeed” in proving that D.O.G.E’s actions violated both the Privacy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.
Richard Fiesta, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, applauded the court’s decision, saying it was a necessary step to protect personal data.
“We are grateful that the court took strong action to protect every American’s personal data,” Fiesta said. “Seniors must be able to trust the Social Security Administration will protect their personal information and keep it from falling into the wrong hands.”
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