Supreme Court lets DOGE access sensitive Social Security Administration information [View all]
Last edited Fri Jun 6, 2025, 06:24 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: CBS News
Updated on: June 6, 2025 / 4:44 PM EDT
Washington — The Supreme Court on Friday cleared the way for the White House's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to access sensitive information kept by the Social Security Administration while legal proceedings move forward. In an unsigned order, the high court agreed to temporarily lift an injunction issued by a federal district court in Maryland that limited DOGE's access to agency systems of records containing the personal information of millions of Americans. Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.
"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 Supreme Court said in its decision. The emergency appeal to the Supreme Court was the first to land before the high court that directly involved DOGE, the initiative previously led by Elon Musk that aims to shrink the size of the federal government.
DOGE's sweeping efforts have sparked numerous lawsuits. Plaintiffs have argued that the task force has violated federal privacy law governing the government's collection and use of Americans' information kept by agencies. Jackson, joined by Sotomayor, said it's not clear that it is in the public's interest for the Social Security Administration to give DOGE staff access to Americans' data before it's been established that they are entitled to it and said the Supreme Court's decision creates "grave privacy risks for millions."
"The court grants a stay permitting the government to give unfettered data access to DOGE regardless — despite its failure to show any need or any interest in complying with existing privacy safeguards, and all before we know for sure whether federal law countenances such access," she wrote. "The court is thereby, unfortunately, suggesting that what would be an extraordinary request for everyone else is nothing more than an ordinary day on the docket for this Administration."
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-doge-social-security-administration-information/
Link to ORDER (PDF) - https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a1063_6j37.pdf
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