Summary
The Supreme Court granted the Social Security Administration's application for a stay of a preliminary injunction that had restricted the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing unclassified SSA records. The per curiam opinion applied the four-factor stay test, concluding that the government likely would succeed on the merits and that the public interest favored allowing DOGE access pending further litigation. Justice Jackson dissented, arguing that the government failed to demonstrate irreparable harm and that the stay undermined lower court safeguards protecting sensitive personal data.
Topics
Practice areas
Questions Presented
- Whether the Government has shown a likelihood of success on the merits and irreparable harm sufficient to justify a stay of the district court's preliminary injunction.
Holdings
- The stay of the District Court's preliminary injunction is granted.
Key quotations
“The application for stay presented to THE CHIEF JUSTICE and by him referred to the Court is granted.” (at 1)
“The Court grants “emergency” relief that allows the Social Security Administration (SSA) to hand DOGE staffers the highly sensitive data of millions of Americans.” (at 1)
Factual background
The President created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by executive order on Jan. 20, 2025, directing agency heads to give DOGE teams access to unclassified records. The SSA was ordered by a district court to limit DOGE's access to SSA data, prompting the Government to seek a stay of that injunction.
Procedural history
The District Court for the District of Maryland entered a preliminary injunction limiting DOGE's access to SSA data. The Fourth Circuit, sitting en banc, denied a stay of that injunction. The Government then sought a stay from the Supreme Court.