DEVELOPING: Obama Judge Pushes Back After Ruling Attacking DOGE is So “Weirdly Written” and “Overly Broad” That It Could Lead to IMMEDIATE Shutdown of Social Security Administration

A federal judge on Thursday barred DOGE from accessing social security systems.

US District Judge Ellen Hollander, an Obama appointee, said DOGE’s workers are on a “fishing expedition.”

“The DOGE Team is essentially engaged in a fishing expedition at SSA, in search of a fraud epidemic, based on little more than suspicion. It has launched a search for the proverbial needle in the haystack, without any concrete knowledge that the needle is actually in the haystack,” Judge Hollander wrote.

Far-left organizations like AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers and other plaintiffs sued the Social Security Administration, Elon Musk, DOGE and other Trump advisors.

“The plaintiffs are the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO (“AFSCME”); Alliance for Retired Americans (“ARA” or “Alliance”); and American Federation of Teachers (“AFT”). They have sued the Social Security Administration; Leland Dudek, in his official capacity as “purported Acting Commissioner” of the SSA; Michael Russo, in his official capacity as Chief Information Officer (“CIO”) of the Agency; Elon Musk, in his official capacity as “Senior Advisor to the President and de facto head of” the Department of Government Efficiency; the “U.S. DOGE Service”; the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization; and Amy Gleason, in her official capacity as the DOGE Acting Administrator,” the court document read.

The judge sided with the plaintiffs and said DOGE is likely violating privacy laws with access to social security numbers and other personal information.

On Friday Acting Social Security commissioner Leland Dudek told the Washington Post in an interview that he will likely file an affidavit asking Judge Hollander to clarify her ruling, calling the language “ambiguous,” “overly broad,” and “weirdly written.”

“[In] an interview Friday with The Washington Post, Dudek argued that the judge’s ruling was overly broad and that a reference to “DOGE affiliates” could apply to all employees who access personally identifiable information, or PII, because they are obligated to cooperate with DOGE,” The Washington Post reported.

“Everything in this agency is PII,” Dudek told The Post. “Unless I get clarification, I’ll just start to shut it down. I don’t have much of a choice here.”

Dudek’s comments created a media firestorm, prompting Judge Hollander to issue a letter clarifying her language.

“The Court is aware of several news reports claiming that Acting Social Security Commissioner Dudek believes that virtually all employees of SSA fall within the scope of the Order, including his “IT Staff” and his “anti-fraud team.” And, according to the news reports, Mr. Dudek apparently believes he is required to terminate their access to SSA’s IT systems, in order to comply with the Order,” Judge Hollander wrote in a letter on Friday.

The judge continued, “Such assertions about the scope of the Order are inaccurate. Employee of SSA who are not involved with the DOGE Team or in the work of the DOGE Team are not subject to the Order. A DOGE Affiliate is defined in the Order, inter alia, as a person working on or implementing the DOGE agenda. Moreover, any suggestion that the Order may require the delay or suspension of benefit payments is incorrect.”

A Maryland fed judge pushed back on speculation that her order restricting Social Security Administration data access for Elon Musk and DOGE may threaten benefit payments, calling an official’s comments about being forced to largely shut down operations “inaccurate”… pic.twitter.com/74WY8R4T8D

— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) March 21, 2025

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