A federal judge has rejected a second attempt by labor unions and other groups to halt Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing sensitive data at the Department of Labor and other agencies. Judge John Bates denied the request for a temporary restraining order on Friday night, stating that the organizations had not demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits of their arguments at this stage of the proceedings.
While rejecting the request, Judge Bates acknowledged that one specific claim raised by the challengers - questioning whether DOGE representatives have the authority to access the data under the relevant law - was a 'close question' that he intends to further explore as the case progresses.
Previously, a similar request by the unions regarding the Labor Department had been turned down by Judge Bates. The scope of the case has since been expanded to include allegations of DOGE conduct at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Health and Human Services.
Expressing serious concerns about privacy issues raised by the case, particularly given that the data includes information on Americans relying on Medicare and Medicaid, as well as numerous consumers, Judge Bates emphasized that the court did not find the plaintiffs entitled to the extraordinary relief of a temporary restraining order based on the current record.
