The order, for now, overturns actions that limited DOGE's access to sensitive private information. In a separate case, the court said DOGE did not have to share internal records with a watchdog group.
President Trump and his former adviser, Elon Musk, lashed out at each other on social media Thursday in a public feud that has ramped up since Musk left his role with the administration last week.
Elon Musk is leaving the Department of Government Efficiency effort. His 130 day tenure was marked by legal setbacks, overstated savings claims and little evidence DOGE made things more efficient.
Science is an economic driver in Hamilton, Mont., thanks to Rocky Mountain Laboratories, a federal research lab. Now, layoffs and funding cuts are having an impact in this town far from Washington.
In her order, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said the president may not initiate large-scale executive branch reorganization without approval from Congress.
NPR has identified nearly 40 small, independent entities – both inside and outside the federal government's control – that a team of young DOGE staffers has tried to access in recent weeks.
An attempt by DOGE to assign a team to the independent Government Accountability Office was rejected Friday. The GAO is part of the legislative branch and not subject to DOGE's request.
DOGE employees demanded the highest level of access to the labor agency's systems, according to a whistleblower and reporting from NPR. The whistleblower said sensitive data then left the agency.
DOGE staffers tried to assign a team to the independent Corporation for Public Broadcasting after President Trump's purported firing of three board members last month.
NPR has learned that rules must now be vetted by the White House and that the administration is drafting an executive order that could loosen radiation limits.
The Department of Agriculture is demanding sensitive data from states about more than 40 million food stamp recipients, as DOGE is amassing data for immigration enforcement.
