Judge Stops Musk’s Wrecking Crew: No One Above the Law in Treasury System Blockade!

Early Saturday morning, a federal judge issued an injunction preventing Elon Musk’s controversial Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE, from accessing a highly sensitive Treasury Department payment system. The judge cited potential “irreparable harm” to the personal and financial information of millions of American citizens.

The emergency decision came in response to a lawsuit brought by attorneys general from 19 states on Friday. U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer ordered that in addition to revoking access for Musk and his team, they must “immediately destroy any copies of data they downloaded from the Treasury Department’s records and systems, if such copies exist.”

The lawsuit, spearheaded by New York Attorney General Letitia James, claimed that the access granted to DOGE staff—who have been described as extremist libertarian “goons” set on dismantling federal agencies—was illegal from the start. The attorneys general argued that this access could potentially allow them to withhold federal funds from states and essential programs like healthcare and childcare, actions they are not permitted to take.

Judge Engelmayer’s ruling requires the named defendants in the lawsuit—President Donald Trump, his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and the Treasury Department—to explain their actions at a hearing scheduled for February 14, before another judge handling a related case challenging DOGE’s access to the system.

Following the decision, Attorney General James stated, “This morning, we secured a court order preventing Elon Musk, the wealthiest individual in the world, from accessing the private data of Americans. Musk and his DOGE associates are now required to eliminate all records they have acquired. As I have maintained repeatedly: no one is above the law.”

According to the Washington Post, the court order also prohibits the Trump administration from granting system access to political appointees, special government employees, or any government employees not specifically assigned to the Treasury Department.

An internal Treasury agency had previously evaluated the DOGE staff placed within the department as “an insider threat,” as reported by Wired on Friday.

Amidst ongoing legal battles, legislative efforts in Congress, and widespread public protests against DOGE’s Treasury access, an internal agency email revealed to the media suggests, “If DOGE members retain any access to payment systems, we recommend immediately suspending such access and undertaking a thorough review of all their activities within these systems.”