“For some 90 years, SSA has been guided by the foundational principle of an expectation of privacy with respect to its records. This case exposes a wide fissure in the foundation,” she wrote.

A federal judge blocked Department of Government Efficiency personnel from accessing sensitive Social Security records. U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander ruled in favor of a group of unions and retirees in Maryland who sued to prevent DOGE from accessing Social Security data.

The Department of Government Efficiency will be allowed only limited access to Social Security data after a federal court handed a ruling that will block the agency from tapping beneficiaries’ personal identifiable information at will.