Attorney General Charity Clark announced a significant legal development today, as a federal judge in the Southern District of New York granted her motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO). This decision comes shortly after Clark, alongside 18 other attorneys general, filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk and his "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) to prevent them from accessing Americans' private information. The ruling blocks Musk and DOGE employees from obtaining sensitive personal data and mandates the destruction of any records already acquired.
The legal action follows a recent policy by the U.S. Department of the Treasury that allowed "special government employees," including Musk and DOGE staffers, access to its central payment system. This system holds critical personal data and manages essential funding sources such as Social Security payments, veterans' benefits, Medicare, Medicaid payments, and more. It also oversees billions in funds that states use for vital services like law enforcement, public education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
Yesterday's lawsuit targets the Trump administration's policy change as an unauthorized disclosure of private information. Early this morning, the court found that the states demonstrated they were likely to succeed on their "particularly strong" statutory claims and would face irreparable harm without immediate judicial intervention.
Elon Musk and his DOGE team are now prohibited from accessing sensitive personal information belonging to Americans. They must also destroy any copies of records previously obtained. The court is set to hear arguments regarding the coalition’s motion for a preliminary injunction on February 14, 2025.
The attorneys general joining Attorney General Clark in this legal effort represent Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.