NY Lawyer Normal Letitia James speaks as Connecticut Lawyer Normal William Tong (L) listens on throughout a press convention on the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) at Manhattan Federal Courthouse on Feb. 14, 2025 in New York Metropolis.
Picture by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Photographs
New York Lawyer Normal Letitia James on Friday hailed a federal court docket for granting of her movement for a preliminary injunction to cease Elon Musk and workers of his so-called “Division of Authorities Effectivity” (DOGE) from having unauthorized entry to People’ non-public data.
“Giving the world’s richest man unauthorized entry to our nation’s central fee system, and our most delicate private data, places all People – and the important funds they depend upon – in danger,” James stated. “With this unlawful energy seize, Musk and DOGE are attempting to wipe out very important applications and companies – from well being care to public security to schooling – that our communities want.”
James led a coalition of attorneys normal to place a cease to this “lawlessness.”
“And a federal court docket has but once more blocked their entry to our confidential data,” she stated. “In the present day, we received a court docket order stopping unauthorized, unelected, and unvetted people like Elon Musk from accessing our nation’s most delicate monetary data.
“We are going to proceed to battle to defend the rule of legislation and defend all People from this administration’s destruction,” she vowed.
On Feb. 7, Lawyer Normal James led a coalition of 18 different attorneys normal in submitting a lawsuit towards the Trump administration to cease the unauthorized entry to People’ non-public data.
James’s lawsuit asserts that the Trump administration illegally offered Elon Musk and DOGE unauthorized entry to the Treasury Division’s central fee system, and, due to this fact, to particular person People’ and states’ delicate data, together with social safety numbers and checking account data.
On Feb. 8, a federal decide within the Southern District of New York granted Lawyer Normal James’ movement for a brief restraining order (TRO) blocking the Trump administration from granting DOGE entry to People’ most delicate private data and ordering them to right away destroy any and all copies of information they’d already obtained.
On Friday, Choose Jeannette Vargas of the Southern District of New York granted Lawyer Normal James and the coalition’s movement for a preliminary injunction, barring the federal government from permitting unauthorized authorities workers like Elon Musk and DOGE to entry the Treasury’s central fee system whereas the coalition’s lawsuit proceeds.
Becoming a member of James on this lawsuit are the attorneys normal of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.