A federal judge in an overnight ruling Saturday blocked Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing the Treasury Department’s payment systems used to dole out trillions of dollars each year.
U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer’s ruling is more extensive than the agreement the administration reached earlier in the week to temporarily limit access to two DOGE personnel.
Engelmayer blocked the Treasury Department from providing access to anyone “other than civil servants with a need for access to perform their job duties.” It explicitly prohibits special government employees and those detailed from outside the department.
He also ordered anyone who is now blocked to immediately destroy any material they’ve already downloaded.
The ruling is only temporary. It will last until at least Friday, when another judge, who is permanently overseeing the case brought by 19 Democratic state attorneys general, will hold a hearing in New York about whether to grant a longer pause.
A federal judge Monday ordered the U.S. Justice Department to provide a sworn declaration by noon...
