A federal judge has once again blocked staff from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing sensitive personal information of millions of Americans within the Social Security Administration (SSA).
The preliminary injunction follows a lawsuit filed by a group of unions and retirees in Maryland, and is one of more than a dozen lawsuits raising concerns about the type of data DOGE has accessed and how such data might be used.
In a 148-page memorandum explaining her decision, U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander wrote late Thursday that “the issue here is not the work that DOGE or the Agency want to do,” but rather “how they want to do the work.” She emphasized that “rooting out possible fraud, waste, and mismanagement in the SSA is in the public interest,” but added that this does not mean the government can bypass the law to achieve such goals.
Liz Huston, a White House spokesperson in the Social Security press office, stated in a statement that they will “appeal this decision and expect ultimate victory on the issue.” Huston reiterated that the American people gave President Trump a clear mandate to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government.
Hollander, an Obama appointee, had previously granted a temporary restraining order against DOGE on March 20, questioning the scope of the data used and describing DOGE’s methods as “tantamount to hitting a fly with a sledgehammer.” A federal appeals court dismissed the Trump administration’s effort to lift the order on April 1.
In her latest ruling, Hollander stated that the Trump administration failed to adequately explain why it was necessary to give a small group of staff “unprecedented, unfettered access to virtually SSA’s entire data systems” to detect waste, fraud, and abuse.
The ruling now prevents DOGE staff from accessing SSA databases containing personally identifiable information (PII), requires them to delete any non-anonymized data in their possession, and to remove any software previously installed on SSA systems. Additionally, DOGE staff must stop accessing or altering Social Security code.
The restrictions do not apply to non-DOGE SSA staff or to DOGE members who wish to use anonymized data and have received proper privacy training.
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which represents the unions and retirees in the case, stated that the ruling “is a significant relief for the millions of people who depend on the Social Security Administration to safeguard their most personal and sensitive information.”
