Attorney General Kathy Jennings and Coalition Win Court Order Blocking Unauthorized Access to Sensitive Data
February 10, 2025
Federal Court Blocks Unauthorized Access to Sensitive Data, Following Lawsuit by Attorney General Jennings and Coalition
Attorney General Kathy Jennings, along with a coalition of 18 state attorneys general, has successfully secured a federal court order preventing allies of Elon Musk and other unauthorized individuals from accessing sensitive personal data through the U.S. Treasury Department.
The ruling, issued early this morning, grants a temporary restraining order (TRO) barring “political appointees, special government employees, and any government personnel detailed from outside the Treasury Department” from accessing Treasury payment systems or any data containing personally identifiable information.
The order responds to a lawsuit filed late last Friday, in which Jennings and the coalition allege that the Trump Administration unlawfully granted Musk’s associates, as well as members of the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), unauthorized access to the Treasury Department’s central payment system. This access, the lawsuit claims, exposed Americans’ most sensitive personal data, including Social Security numbers and bank account information.
File Photo: Tesla founder ELON MUSK leaves the New Castle County Courthouse in Wilmington after testifying before the Chancery Court in a case over the company’s 2.6 Billion dollar acquisition of SolarCity, Monday July 12, 2021; in Wilmington, DE. Photo By Saquan Stimpson
“This is a direct assault on privacy and a grave violation of trust,” said Attorney General Jennings. “We cannot allow this kind of corruption to persist. This is a victory for Delawareans and for Americans who expect their government to protect their private information. We will not allow unelected individuals to use their power to breach the privacy of millions.”
The TRO stipulates that individuals named in the lawsuit are prohibited from accessing any payment records or other Treasury data containing confidential financial or personally identifiable information unless they are civil servants with a legitimate need to perform their duties. These individuals must also have passed background checks and completed the requisite security training. Furthermore, those who have already accessed such information since January 20, 2025, are required to immediately destroy any copies of materials downloaded from Treasury systems.