A federal judge issued an order early Saturday preventing Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team from accessing the Treasury Department’s payment system. This ruling is part of ongoing legal challenges against the Trump administration.
U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan granted the emergency request filed by 19 Democratic attorneys general on Friday, agreeing with their concerns that members of Musk’s team, known as Doge, posed a unique security risk to the states and their residents’ data.
Earlier, on Thursday, another judge in Washington, D.C., had already restricted access to the Treasury system for two Musk allies, Tom Krause and Marko Elez, who were working as “special government employees.” U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued that order with support from the Department of Justice.
Engelmayer’s decision extends the restriction, barring access for these and other government workers until at least February 14. He ordered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to respond by then and instructed that any materials downloaded be destroyed immediately.
Additionally, U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas, a Biden appointee, is set to hold a hearing in New York regarding the matter. Another federal judge, Carl Nichols, blocked the Trump administration’s plan to put 2,200 USAID employees on leave.
Despite these rulings, District Judge John Bates declined to restrict DOGE representatives’ access to Labor Department data for the time being, following a request from labor unions and a think tank.
In other news, Musk’s employee, Esk, who had access to Treasury records, resigned after controversial racist social media posts surfaced. Musk later suggested on X that Esk would be reinstated, expressing forgiveness. Vice President JD Vance also defended Esk, stating that social media posts shouldn’t ruin someone’s life.
