The Supreme Court just handed the Trump administration a major win, allowing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to access Social Security databases holding sensitive information on millions of Americans.
This ruling marks the first Supreme Court decision involving DOGE, a controversial government team once helmed by billionaire Elon Musk. In a 6-3 decision split along ideological lines, the court halted a lower court order that had blocked DOGE’s access to Social Security records due to privacy concerns.
“We conclude that, under the present circumstances, SSA may proceed to afford members of the SSA DOGE Team access to the agency records in question in order for those members to do their work,” the justices wrote in an unsigned opinion.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, pushed back, saying the decision poses “grave privacy risks” by offering “unfettered data access to DOGE.”
The data involved includes school, salary, and medical records. DOGE, created to root out federal waste, has faced legal resistance from watchdogs and unions worried about data misuse and overreach.
U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander previously limited DOGE’s access to anonymous data or specific cases with proper justification, citing concerns of a “fishing expedition.” Solicitor General D. John Sauer called the restrictions judicial overreach.
In a separate case, the Court also paused an order requiring DOGE to disclose internal operations to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which argues DOGE should comply with the Freedom of Information Act. The Trump team says DOGE is exempt as a presidential advisory group.
