Appeals Court allows DOGE to access sensitive information from multiple federal agencies

A federal Appeals court on Monday reinstated the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) access to sensitive information housed by government agencies. 

The American Federation of Teachers has accused the Trump administration of violating federal privacy laws by giving DOGE access to systems with personal information on millions of Americans without the Americans' consent.

U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman issued a preliminary injunction last month on the department's access to information at the Education Department, the Treasury Department and the Office of Personnel Management, ruling that the Trump administration failed to justify why it needs access to the data, according to the Associated Press.

The three Appeals court judges on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that ruling in a split decision.

Judge Steven Agee argued that Boardman misread legal precedent, which requires "nothing more than abstract access to personal information to establish a concrete injury," and that the government demonstrated “a strong showing that it is likely to succeed on the merits of their appeal.”

Judge Julius Richardson sided with Agee in his opinion, but said more information was needed to prove that the access was actually necessary. Both judges were appointed by Republican presidents.

Judge Robert King, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, dissented.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.