Judge hits DOGE with new limits on access to Social Security records

A federal judge blocked Department of Government Efficiency personnel from accessing sensitive Social Security records.

U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander ruled in favor of a group of unions and retirees in Maryland who sued to prevent DOGE from accessing Social Security data. She issued a temporary restraining order on March 20 and, in a Thursday ruling, decided DOGE didn’t properly explain why it required “unprecedented, unfettered access to virtually the Social Security Administration’s entire data systems.”