A federal judge has prohibited Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) from accessing the personal financial data of millions of Americans in Treasury Department records, according to court documents.
US District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer issued a preliminary injunction on Saturday, directing Musk and his team to promptly destroy any copies of the records.
This action follows a lawsuit by 19 state attorneys general against the Trump administration when Doge, a cost-saving initiative led by Musk, was granted access to the records. They contended that allowing access to Musk, a "special government employee", and Doge, which is not an official government department, violated federal law.
No immediate comments were provided by the White House, President Donald Trump, or Musk.
The Democratic state attorneys general filed suit against Trump, the Treasury Department, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday.
Engelmayer's order, issued early on Saturday, stated that the states would "face irreparable" harm without immediate relief, highlighting concerns regarding the disclosure of sensitive information and increased risk of hacking.
The order prohibits granting access to Treasury Department records containing personally identifiable or confidential information to special government employees, political appointees, and external department employees. Access is restricted to civil servants at the Bureau of Fiscal Services who require it for their work and have passed background checks.
Moreover, the judge mandated that anyone restricted from accessing the records must promptly eliminate any copies.
These conditions will be upheld until the next court hearing on 14 February.