A U.S. federal judge has blocked Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) from accessing the personal financial records of millions of Americans held by the Treasury Department.
In a ruling issued on Saturday, U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer granted a preliminary injunction, barring Doge from obtaining the records and ordering Musk and his team to immediately destroy any copies they may have acquired.
The decision follows a lawsuit filed by 19 state attorneys general against the Trump administration, arguing that allowing Musk—a “special government employee”—and Doge, which is not an official government agency, to access the records violated federal law.
The Democratic attorneys general sued President Donald Trump, the Treasury Department, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, asserting that Doge’s access to sensitive financial information posed significant legal and security concerns.
Engelmayer’s ruling stated that the states would face “irreparable harm” without immediate intervention.
“That is both because of the risk that the new policy presents of the disclosure of sensitive and confidential information and the heightened risk that the systems in question will be more vulnerable than before to hacking,” the judge wrote.
The injunction prevents the Treasury Department from granting access to personally identifiable or confidential records to special government employees, political appointees, or any personnel outside the department. Only civil servants at the Bureau of Fiscal Services who have undergone background checks will be permitted to handle such records.
Additionally, the judge ordered any restricted individuals to destroy any copies of records already obtained. The ruling remains in effect until the next court hearing on February 14.
Musk has played a key role in Trump’s second-term administration, leading cost-cutting initiatives under Doge. The agency has spearheaded major budget reductions, including at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which manages billions in global aid.
Neither Musk, the White House, nor President Trump have issued statements on the court ruling.
