https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/doge/judge-blocks-department-education-federal-personnel-office-sharing-dat-rcna193453
A federal judge in Maryland has blocked the Department of Education and Office of Personnel Management from sharing the personal information of plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Trump administration with Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman issued a temporary restraining order Monday on both agencies and wrote in an opinion that the plaintiffs in the case, which include members of several major unions, showed that the Education Department and OPM "likely violated the Privacy Act by disclosing their personal information to DOGE affiliates without their consent."
Boardman wrote that the plaintiffs "met their burden for the extraordinary relief they seek" by clearly showing that they are "likely to suffer irreparable harm without injunctive relief."
"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," she wrote. "There is no reason to believe their access to this information will end anytime soon because the government believes their access is appropriate."
The White House didn’t immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment.
“This is a significant decision that puts a firewall between actors whom we believe lack the legitimacy and authority to access Americans’ personal data and are using it inappropriately, without any safeguards,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, the lead plaintiff in the case.
The plaintiffs are unions and membership organizations that represent current and former federal employees as well as federal student loan recipients and six military veterans who have received federal benefits or student loans.