Judge Denies Union Demand to Block DOGE’s Access to Labor Department Data

District Judge John Bates said the groups lacked the necessary standing to win a temporary restraining order.

Elon Musk walks at the U.S. Capitol.

Elon Musk arrives before the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 20. | Pool photo by Kevin Lamarque

By Nick Niedzwiadek

02/07/2025 09:42 PM EST

A federal judge on Friday night rejected labor unions’ push to block Elon Musk’s government efficiency team from accessing sensitive data at the Labor Department.

District Judge John Bates, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, said that the groups failed to properly show the standing necessary to win the temporary restraining order they sought against the Department of Government Efficiency, while expressing sympathy for their concerns that the Musk-led effort presents privacy risks.

“This data includes the medical and financial records of millions of Americans,” Bates wrote in a nine-page order. “But on the current record, plaintiffs have failed to establish standing.”

The setback comes as the unions had planned to expand their lawsuit to cover additional agencies beyond DOL that have come under DOGE’s scrutiny.