On Tuesday, a U.S. judge rejected an application that sought to prevent entrepreneur Elon Musk’s Government Efficiency Department (DOGE) from accessing the internal systems of the U.S. Department of Education, which contains federal student financial aid information involving millions of Americans.
Located in Washington, U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss dismissed a temporary restraining order requested by the California University Student Union to block the Education Department from disclosing information to Musk’s Government Efficiency Department.
The student group’s lawyer argued that the Education Department’s decision to authorize DOGE to access student data violated obligations set by two federal laws, the 1974 Privacy Act and the Internal Revenue Code, in place to protect borrowers’ sensitive personal information.
Judge Moss stated that the organization failed to provide evidence beyond “pure speculation” to prove that the Education Department or DOGE staff would abuse or improperly disclose information they are obligated to keep confidential by law.
The judge cited a statement from DOGE employee Adam Ramada, who mentioned that he and his team of six individuals are working to audit waste, fraud, and abuse within the Education Department and assisting senior leadership in accessing data, with a clear understanding of their legal obligations regarding information disclosure.
Adam Pulver, an attorney from the student organization Public Citizen, stated in a press release that despite the judge’s ruling, the lawsuit would continue, as he believed that “there is nothing in this ruling that suggests DOGE has the right to lawfully obtain sensitive student data.”
Pulver expressed, “As the case progresses, we expect to gain more insight into how DOGE is using the data provided by students to the Education Department and students expect their privacy to be protected when providing information.”
Since former President Trump’s return to the White House last month, Musk-led DOGE has been assisting in significant government restructuring efforts to eliminate waste and reduce federal spending, which has involved various federal agencies, including downsizing staff, resulting in the dismissal of thousands of federal government employees.
Democratic-led states in the U.S. and freedom-oriented legal organizations have filed multiple lawsuits seeking to prevent DOGE from accessing various government systems.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington expressed on Monday her intention to make a ruling within 24 hours on the lawsuit filed by 13 Democratic state attorneys general seeking to stop Musk and DOGE from entering various government systems and terminating employees from seven agencies.
U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan extended a restraining order last Friday preventing DOGE from accessing the U.S. Treasury Department’s payment system.
Linda McMahon’s nomination as Education Secretary by Trump is still pending confirmation. She participated in a confirmation hearing in the Senate last week, where Democratic senators questioned her on issues raised by President Trump such as closing the Education Department, school choice for students, and the DEI program. With the Republican Party holding a 53-47 majority in the Senate, her nomination is expected to ultimately pass.
(This article references reporting from Reuters)