Federal Judge Issues Ruling In Case Launched By Several Attorney Generals Regarding DOGE
In a ruling that could have significant implications for federal oversight, U.S. District Court Judge Jeannette Vargas has allowed a key operative from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to access highly sensitive systems within the Treasury Department.
The decision, issued Friday, modifies a previous injunction and comes after a protracted legal battle waged by Democratic attorneys general concerned about privacy and political overreach.
Judge Vargas’ order authorizes Ryan Wunderly, a DOGE staffer, to enter Treasury’s confidential data systems—but under strict conditions. Before Wunderly can log into any system housing personal or financial data, he must undergo the same hands-on training required of Treasury staff and submit a full financial disclosure under the Office of Government Ethics guidelines.
This access includes payment records and any data systems with personally identifiable or confidential financial information, marking a sharp reversal from February when DOGE’s access was entirely blocked pending litigation.
The original legal challenge, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James and backed by 18 Democratic attorneys general, framed DOGE’s intrusion as both politically motivated and dangerously cavalier. James had warned that giving “the world’s richest man”—a reference to Elon Musk, seen as aligned with DOGE’s mission—access to critical national infrastructure risked not just data privacy, but the stability of the nation’s vital public services.
The coalition argued that such access should remain the domain of career civil servants, not political appointees or outside actors. They feared that DOGE’s efforts could undermine public health, safety, and education by targeting “waste” based on ideological grounds.
From the outset, the Trump administration and DOGE defended their actions by highlighting both their limited scope of access and the anti-fraud imperative driving their work. According to their own statement, only two DOGE team members had been granted access, and each had already undergone training.
Their mission, DOGE insists, is not political overreach, but governmental efficiency. On Thursday, DOGE announced it had uncovered $382 million in suspicious unemployment claims, with California, New York, and Massachusetts accounting for the vast majority—figures that appear to bolster their justification.
Notably, DOGE claimed that 68% of benefits paid to parolees flagged by border authorities originated from California alone.