New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that a federal court has granted her motion for a preliminary injunction against Elon Musk and his "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE). This decision prevents them from accessing Americans' private information through the Treasury Department's central payment system.
James expressed concerns about the risks posed by unauthorized access to sensitive personal information, stating, “Giving the world’s richest man unauthorized access to our nation’s central payment system, and our most sensitive personal information, puts all Americans – and the essential funds they depend on – at risk.” She further noted that such actions threaten vital programs in health care, public safety, and education.
The legal action stems from a lawsuit filed by James on February 7 with support from 18 other state attorneys general. The lawsuit challenges what it describes as illegal authorization by the Trump administration allowing Musk and DOGE access to critical financial data, including social security numbers and bank account details.
On February 8, a temporary restraining order was issued by a federal judge in New York's Southern District. It blocked any further sharing of this information with DOGE and mandated the destruction of any records already obtained.
Today’s ruling by Judge Jeannette Vargas upholds this block while litigation continues. The coalition supporting James includes attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island Vermont and Wisconsin.
The case is managed in New York by Special Counsel Andrew Amer along with Colleen K. Faherty and Rabia Muqaddam. Additional assistance comes from Assistant Attorney General Stephen Thompson and Legal Assistants Labiba Hassan and Nyna Sargent under Chief Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux's leadership.