Court lets DOGE access private data amid appeal

WASHINGTON: A divided federal appeals court on Monday put on hold an injunction that blocked Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Americans’ private data at the Treasury and Education departments and the Office of Personnel Management.

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In a 2-1 vote, the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the March 24 preliminary injunction issued by US District Judge Deborah Boardman in Greenbelt, Maryland, while the government pursues its appeal wholeheartedly.

The Richmond, Virginia-based appeals court separately voted 8-7 against taking up the matter “en banc,” meaning all active judges would decide.

A dissenting judge warned that letting DOGE access personal information belonging to millions of Americans “lets the proverbial genie out of the bottle.”

The appeals court set an expedited schedule for the appeal, and will hear oral arguments on May 5.