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Supreme Court Authorizes DOGE Access to Social Security Files and Blocks FOIA Inquiry

The ruling shields the president’s waste-cutting task force from transparency requests by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington pending further appeals on its FOIA status.

The U.S. Supreme Court building is seen the morning before justices are expected to issue opinions in pending cases, in Washington, U.S., June 14, 2024. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo

Overview

  • The Supreme Court lifted a Maryland district court’s block on DOGE’s access to SSA data systems, allowing its team to examine personal records pending a full Privacy Act review.
  • In a separate unsigned order, the justices halted discovery orders from a citizens’ watchdog suit that had forced DOGE to reveal internal memos and to depose acting administrator Amy Gleason.
  • The court sent the FOIA disclosure dispute back to the D.C. Circuit for more proceedings to determine whether DOGE qualifies as an agency under federal public records law.
  • Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from both decisions, voicing concerns over privacy rights and judicial restraint in executive branch matters.
  • President Trump created DOGE to root out waste in the federal government and Elon Musk formally ended his role with the task force on May 30 as legal battles over its authority intensify.