A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit filed by labor unions seeking to block Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing Labor Department systems will move forward. The unions argue that allowing DOGE access violates the federal Privacy Act, which protects the medical and financial records of millions of Americans stored within these systems. They also contend that DOGE lacks the legal authority to direct the actions of agencies created by Congress, such as the Department of Labor.
In a decision made on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge John Bates ruled that the unions’ claims could proceed. However, he dismissed some of their more specific arguments, including claims that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services violated health care privacy laws by permitting DOGE access.
The federal Privacy Act generally prohibits agencies from disclosing personal records to other agencies without the individual’s written consent. In his ruling, Judge Bates acknowledged that while accessing personal information in a spreadsheet is not the same as violating someone’s physical privacy, the Privacy Act was designed to protect individuals’ personal data from unauthorized access, ensuring it is only accessible to employees who need it for legitimate purposes.
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