A U.S. federal appeals court on Monday stayed an injunction that prevented Elon Musk and his Government Efficiency Department (DOGE) from accessing Americans' personal data at the Treasury and Education Departments, as well as the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, UNN writes, citing Reuters.
Details
In a 2-1 vote, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit stayed a preliminary injunction issued March 24 by U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman in Greenbelt, Maryland, while the government continues its appeals process.
The Richmond, Virginia-based appeals court separately voted 8-7 against hearing the case "en banc," meaning all active judges would hear the decision.
A dissenting judge warned that granting DOGE access to personal information belonging to millions of Americans would "let the proverbial genie out of the bottle."
The appeals court set an expedited schedule for the appeal and will hear oral arguments on May 5.
Addition
Five union groups led by the American Federation of Teachers and six war veterans accused President Donald Trump's administration of violating federal privacy laws by allowing Musk's team to view Americans' sensitive personal data.
The information includes social security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, income, citizenship status, student loans, and veterans' disability benefits.
Critics said that granting Musk and DOGE impunity could lead to the government using sensitive personal data for other purposes, such as achieving Trump's immigration goals.
DOGE was created to promote Trump's efforts to cut the federal government.
Musk, the world's richest man and CEO of electric car maker Tesla, was personally selected by Trump to head DOGE.
This case is separate from a lawsuit challenging DOGE's access to Social Security databases.