U.S. federal judge Tanya Chutkan denied a request by 14 Democratic attorneys general for a temporary injunction that would have limited Elon Musk and the Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE) from accessing or sharing data from seven government agencies. About this informs The Verge.
The attorneys general argued that Musk and DOGE acted without proper authority, gaining unprecedented access to data and cutting federal staff and government agency projects.
Judge Chutkan ruled that the states had failed to prove that they would suffer irreparable harm without the ban. She suggested that there might be some merit to arguments about the Appointments Regulation, which requires the approval of officials by the president and the Senate, but for now allowed the DOGE to continue operating. At the same time, states have the option of continuing the litigation and seeking a preliminary injunction.
In addition, Chutkan rejected the government’s request to lift the current ban that restricts DOGE from accessing the Ministry of Finance’s payment systems. However, she clarified that this restriction does not apply to the head of the department Scott Bessent and other senior officials approved by the Senate.
