A federal judge on Friday indefinitely postponed a final ruling on a request by labor unions to block Elon Musk’s government efficiency team from accessing internal system data, telling both parties, “You will hear from me,” but declining to provide a specific timeline for a decision.
The update from U.S. District Judge John Bates, a George W. Bush appointee, comes just a week after he denied an earlier request from unions representing Labor Department employees for a temporary restraining order to prevent DOGE from accessing internal data. Bates ruled that the plaintiffs lacked standing and failed to demonstrate potential harm from the actions.
In response, the unions broadened their lawsuit, amending their complaint to include the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Fox News reported.
Friday’s arguments lasted over three hours, with plaintiffs contending that DOGE employees were unlawfully accessing their information, as DOGE is not officially recognized as a U.S. government agency.
“There has been reporting that DOGE is directing the cuts of agency staff and contracts, not simply advising the president,” a lawyer for the plaintiffs told Bates, adding: “The situation is extremely fluid and changing.”
