Maeve Bidonde, Staff Writer
Many federal judges have been blocking DOGE and the Trump Administration’s attempts at overriding the law, including access to sensitive information a part of the Department of Education. DOGE hasn’t adequately explained why they needed access to this type of information.
The block also came a week after a Washington D.C. judge denied a student group’s request to issue an order denying DOGE access to their records. According to NBC News, the judge ruled that the student group failed to prove “it will likely suffer irreparable harm” should DOGE have access.
According to USA Today, U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman ruled that “unauthorized disclosure of the plaintiffs’ sensitive personal information to DOGE affiliates is irreparable harm that money damages cannot rectify.” Musk, Trump, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt have made comments about how the Trump Administration would appeal rulings that are against them.
“Contrary to the rumors on which Plaintiffs rely, none of the Defendants have made any public disclosure, nor violated the Privacy Act in any way,” said government lawyers in one filing responding to the lawsuits according to USA Today.
The act at the center of the block is the Privacy Act of 1974, which is a federal law that governs any selection or collection of information gathered to be analyzed. On the Social Security Administration website, it clearly states that federal agencies are prohibited from disclosing someone’s private information without consent unless certain exceptions apply to the situation.
Currently, Boardman’s ruling implies DOGE is violating the act and they have no justifiable need for the information. The block will be up for reconsideration unless DOGE can come to disclose their reason for what they claim to need. The Trump Administration continues to argue attempting to limit DOGE’s access to any kind of information would be viewed as impeding DOGE’s task.
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