BOSTON — On Saturday, February 22, 2025, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office announced that a federal court granted a motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is spearheaded by Elon Musk, “from having unauthorized access to Americans’ private information.”
“While President Trump attempts to give his billionaire friends limitless power, my colleagues and I will keep showing up in court to protect the state, our residents, and the programs they depend on,” said Attorney General Campbell. “This order is a victory that stops Elon Musk and DOGE from accessing and misusing sensitive, private data while we continue fighting their gross abuse of power.”
On February 7, 19 state attorneys general launched a lawsuit to block the Trump Administration from allowing unauthorized access to Americans’ private data. The coalition contends that the administration unlawfully granted Elon Musk and DOGE access to the Treasury Department’s central payment system, thereby exposing sensitive details such as social security numbers and bank account information for both individuals and states.
On the morning of February 8, a federal judge in the Southern District of New York issued a Temporary Restraining Order that bars the Trump Administration from granting DOGE access to Americans’ most sensitive personal data, while also mandating the immediate destruction of any records already obtained.
Then, on the evening of Friday, February 21, 2025, a judge approved the coalition’s motion for a preliminary injunction, effectively preventing the government from granting access to the Treasury’s central payment system to unauthorized parties such as Elon Musk and DOGE while the lawsuit is ongoing.
Attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin have also joined Attorney General Campbell in the lawsuit.
Can one ask how is it that these folks know what information is being exposed? Do they themselves have permition to this information as well? Properly cleared access?