A federal judge has decided that Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will not be restricted from accessing data at the Department of Education. The decision came late Monday after a group of students receiving financial aid through Education Department programs sought emergency intervention to protect their personal data.
Judge Randy Moss of the DC District Court ruled that the student group failed to demonstrate how they were being harmed at this time, and violations of privacy law were not deemed certain to occur. This marks the third instance in recent days where emergency lawsuits related to privacy concerns against DOGE have been unsuccessful in convincing courts to intervene in the agency's operations within executive branch agencies.
Despite the denial of a temporary restraining order on DOGE, Moss mentioned that the students could return to seek financial compensation if their data is disclosed in an unauthorized manner. The legal battles against DOGE persist, with new cases being filed that extend beyond privacy claims.
Earlier on Monday, Moss also declined to block Musk's use of a server for sending mass emails to government employees. Additionally, a separate judge from the previous week decided against restricting DOGE's access to data at the Labor Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
