District Judge Deborah Boardman granted a two-week restraining order on the Education Department and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on Monday, preventing the sharing of any personal information with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This is the broadest legal block placed on DOGE activity thus far.
Federal employee unions, student loan recipients, and veterans who receive government benefits filed separate lawsuits against the U.S. DOGE Service’s request to access sensitive information at the Education Department, part of its ongoing efforts to access sensitive data from a number of government agencies. These lawsuits were processed as a single court case, as each argued that DOGE’s reasons for accessing such sensitive data violated the Privacy Act.
“DOGE affiliates have been granted access to systems of record that contain some of the plaintiffs’ most sensitive data — Social Security numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, income and assets, citizenship status, and disability status — and their access to this trove of personal information is ongoing,” Judge Boardman wrote in her 33-page ruling.
“The continuing, unauthorized disclosure of plaintiffs’ sensitive personal information to DOGE affiliates is irreparable harm that money damages cannot rectify,” she added.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For wisdom for federal judges hearing challenges to President Trump’s and DOGE’s actions.
- For the president and DOGE personnel as they seek to eliminate wasteful government spending and reduce the federal workforce.
Sources: Politico, Washington Examiner
