4th Circuit Court Upholds Block on DOGE’s Access to Social Security Data
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Richmond, Virginia, made waves on Wednesday by voting 9-6 to maintain the ban on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing Social Security data.
This decision came from an en banc session, meaning all judges participated: Chief Judge Diaz (Obama), Judges King, Gregory, Wynn, Thacker, and Harris (all Obama appointees), alongside Judges Heytens, Benjamin, and Berner (all Biden appointees) voted against lifting the block. Meanwhile, Judges Wilkinson (Reagan), Niemeyer (George H.W. Bush), Agee (George W. Bush), Richardson, Quattlebaum, and Rushing (all Trump appointees) supported the motion to stay the injunction.
Previously, a federal judge had ruled to prohibit DOGE from accessing Social Security systems. U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander, also an Obama appointee, characterized DOGE’s efforts as “a fishing expedition,” indicating a lack of substantial evidence to justify their request.
“The DOGE Team is essentially engaged in a fishing expedition at SSA, in search of a fraud epidemic, based on little more than suspicion. It has launched a search for the proverbial needle in the haystack, without any concrete knowledge that the needle is actually in the haystack,” Judge Hollander remarked in her ruling.
This legal battle has drawn the attention of various left-leaning organizations, such as the AFL-CIO and the American Federation of Teachers, who have joined forces in a lawsuit against the Social Security Administration, Elon Musk, DOGE, and several advisors from the Trump administration.
On April 17, Judge Hollander issued a preliminary injunction extending the prohibition on DOGE’s access to the personal records of millions of Americans stored by the Social Security Administration (SSA). Her lengthy 148-page ruling emphasized privacy concerns over the Trump administration’s assertion that such access was essential to combat fraud and waste within government programs.
In a subsequent move, the DC Circuit Court declined to stay Judge Hollander’s injunction, further solidifying the current restrictions against DOGE’s access to sensitive data.
