A federal judge ruled Friday that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) can continue to access sensitive data on millions of Americans at certain agencies, handing at least a temporary defeat to the labor unions that have sued to block the practice.
Judge John D. Bates of the U.S. District Court in D.C. declined to grant the plaintiffs a preliminary injunction against the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services, pending further proceedings in the case.
The AFL-CIO and other unions filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent DOGE employees from accessing information such as medical files, financial histories, Social Security numbers and addresses.
In his ruling, Bates said the plaintiffs had not demonstrated sufficient evidence of harm to merit an injunction, although he remained concerned about the prospect of DOGE’s access.
“Absent evidence those personnel will imminently misuse or publicly disclose that information, the Court cannot say that irreparable harm will clearly occur before the Court can make a final determination on the merits,” he wrote. “And without irreparable harm, a preliminary injunction cannot issue.”
Still, Bates acknowledged the sensitivity of the data access, writing that the “DOGE Affiliates have their hands on some of the most personal information individuals entrust to the government.”
“[T]he Court’s concerns are as grave as ever, and it stands ready to remedy plaintiffs’ harm should they ultimately succeed on the merits,” he wrote.
Bates asked the parties to propose a schedule for reaching summary judgment.
The ruling is yet another setback for the labor unions, which first brought their suit in February and have been twice denied temporary restraining orders.
Bates himself has ruled on a number of President Trump-related cases and has at times drawn ire from the president. He has ordered the administration to restore certain government websites and ruled that Trump’s executive order targeting the law firm Jenner & Block was unconstitutional.
A host of lawsuits over DOGE’s access to private government data are slowly playing out across federal courts.
A federal judge ruled last week that the government must submit a report detailing DOGE’s level of access to personally identifiable information at the Office of Personnel Management in response to another lawsuit filed by the AFL-CIO.
The Supreme Court earlier this month allowed DOGE to proceed in its efforts at the Social Security Administration, staying a preliminary injunction in a case brought by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
