Federal Judge Allows Limited Access to Treasury Data by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency
A U.S. District Judge in Washington, Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, has decided not to prohibit employees from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing sensitive Treasury systems. This decision was made despite concerns about potential privacy violations.
The judge highlighted that although privacy concerns are valid, the current access by DOGE is restricted under a previous court order, allowing only two employees read-only access with the Trump administration’s cooperation. One of these employees resigned following allegations related to racist social media posts, but Musk indicated plans for rehiring.
Kollar-Kotelly, appointed by President Bill Clinton, ruled against a permanent ban in a case initiated by retirees and union leaders concerned about the potential exposure of sensitive personal data. She acknowledged that while the worries are “understandable and no doubt widely shared,” the plaintiffs have not demonstrated any immediate risk of substantial harm from the limited team, which is required to maintain confidentiality.
In her ruling, Kollar-Kotelly stated, “Merely asserting that the Treasury DOGE Team’s operations increase the risk of a catastrophic data breach or public disclosure of sensitive information … is not sufficient to support a preliminary injunction.”
However, the judge allowed for the possibility of revisiting the issue, indicating she “would not hesitate” to enforce a block if new evidence emerges showing an immediate risk to information security.
In contrast, a federal judge in Manhattan has issued an order preventing DOGE from accessing Treasury systems, following a lawsuit by 19 Democratic attorneys general.
