A federal judge blocked Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency from accessing sensitive data at certain government agencies Monday, granting a temporary restraining order in a case brought by labor unions.
The order forbids the Department of Education and the Office of Personnel Management from sharing personally identifiable information with DOGE. The order does not apply to DOGE's access to such information from the Department of the Treasury. The order will remain in effect through March 10.
The data in question includes addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers, income, and citizen and disability status for existing and past federal employees and recipients of student financial aid.
The judge ruled that the workers' unions and their members successfully showed that the Trump administration likely violated the Privacy Act of 1974 in granting access to sensitive information.
The judge had directed the parties in the case to discuss next steps in the case, which may include a preliminary injunction, no later than Tuesday, Feb. 5.
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The lawsuit is one of several seeking to halt DOGE access to sensitive government data and networks. Early in February a judge issued a preliminary injunction stopping similar data access at the U.S. Treasury.
