The order by District Judge Ellen Hollander banned DOGE staff from accessing data containing information that could personally identify Americans, such as their Social Security number, medical history, or bank records.
Hollander ruled that the Social Security Administration, SSA, can only give redacted or anonymized records to DOGE employees who have completed background checks and training on federal laws, regulations, and privacy policies.
The order is the latest legal challenge to Musk and DOGE’s drive to slash outgoings deemed wasteful or contrary to President Donald Trump’s policies.
It comes after SSA chief Michelle King reportedly quit in February over DOGE’s requests to access Social Security recipient information.
The case was brought by a group of unions who argued that the agency had opened its data systems to unauthorized personnel from DOGE, with disregard for the privacy of millions of Americans.
The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, AFSCME, praised the ruling as important.
According to the order, DOGE staff must also delete any non-anonymized Social Security data they have had since Trump took office in January.