Supreme Court Sides With DOGE on Social Security Data

The Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency won twice at the Supreme Court on Friday, securing access to millions of Americans' personal data in Social Security systems while remaining shielded for now from having to disclose information about its own operations. The decisions were released at the same time and came in brief, unsigned orders, as is usual with emergency applications. In both cases, the justices appointed by Democrats split from the majority ruling, the Washington Post reports. The details of the cases include:

• Social Security data: While the legal case proceeds, DOGE can be allowed into the Social Security Administration's internal systems holding the personal data. The Trump administration argues it needs the information to modernize the agency and eliminate waste and fraud, per the New York Times. Two labor unions and an advocacy organization brought a lawsuit saying that privacy laws protect the information.
• Transparency: The court tossed a lower court ruling to compel DOGE to immediately turn over its own records to a watchdog group in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, per the Hill. A federal judge had told DOGE to release documents and any recommendations it had made to agencies. He also ordered a deposition of acting DOGE's acting administrator. The case turned partly on whether DOGE is a government agency, which would make it subject to FOIA requests; the Trump administration argues it's an advisory body. Although it's a victory for DOGE's attempts to keep its operations secret, Politico points out that the decision seems to leave open the possibility of testimony about how DOGE works in the suit.

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