A federal judge on Friday indefinitely postponed a final ruling on a request by labor unions to block Elon Musk\u2019s government efficiency team from accessing internal system data, telling both parties, \u201cYou will hear from me,\u201d but declining to provide a specific timeline for a decision.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Friday\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThere has been reporting that DOGE is directing the cuts of agency staff and contracts, not simply advising the president,\u201d a lawyer for the plaintiffs told Bates, adding: \u201cThe situation is extremely fluid and changing.\u201d<\/p>\n