EAST HAMPTON, NY — The Supreme Court has given the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency access to data New Yorkers have long guarded: Social Security data, including school records, salary details and medical information.
The court sided with the Trump administration in one of the first Supreme Court appeals involving DOGE, a team once led by billionaire Elon Musk.
In April, U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander in Maryland blocked DOGE’s access to Social Security Administration under federal privacy laws, saying it amounted to a “fishing expedition” based on “little more than suspicion” of fraud.
Friday’s order grants the Trump administration’s emergency application lifting that injunction so DOGE team members can continue doing their work as the case proceeds in lower courts.
What Kind Of Data Is Exposed?
Social Security Administration data includes not only the individual’s Social Security number, but also their place and date of birth, citizenship status, ethnicity, race, sex, phone numbers, mailing addresses, and parents’ names. The agency also has access to other sensitive data, according to the plaintiffs in the original complaint, NBC News reported. That data includes:
Driver’s license and identification information Bank and credit cards Birth and marriage certificates Pension information Home and work addresses School records Immigration and naturalization records Family court records Employment and employer records Psychological and psychiatric health records Hospitalization records Addiction treatment records HIV/AIDS test results Tax information, including total earnings, Social Security and Medicare wages, and annual employee withholdings
The complaint says DOGE has not only accessed sensitive and legally protected information but has publicly shared it, which the plaintiffs say deprives Americans of privacy protections guaranteed by federal law and has made their personal information vulnerable.
The original complaint was filed by a coalition of plaintiffs, including American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; the American Federation of Teachers; and the Alliance for Retired Americans, represented by Democracy Forward.
What Did The Justices Say?
The conservative majority sided with lower court conservative judges, who have said there is no evidence at this point of DOGE team members mishandling personal information.
“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 court said in an unsigned order.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said the court’s action creates “grave privacy risks” for millions of Americans by giving “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.”
Justice Sonia Sotomayor joined Jackson’s opinion and Justice Elena Kagan said she also would have ruled against the administration.
What Do Parties In Lawsuit Say?
The plaintiffs called the high court’s order “a sad day for our democracy and a scary day for millions of people. Elon Musk may have left Washington, D.C., but his impact continues to harm millions of people.”
Liz Huston, a spokesperson for the White House, applauded the order. “The Supreme Court allowing the Trump Administration to carry out commonsense efforts to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse and modernize government information systems is a huge victory for the rule of law,” she said.
Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano in a statement said the agency “will continue driving forward modernization efforts, streamlining government systems, and ensuring improved service and outcomes for our beneficiaries.”
The Associated Press contributed reporting.