WASHINGTON: A divi­ded federal appeals court on Monday put on hold an injunction that blocked Elon Musk and his Depar­tment of Government Efficiency from accessing Americans’ private data at the Treasury and Edu­cation departments and the Office of Personnel Management.

In a 2-1 vote, the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the March 24 preliminary injunction imposed by US District Judge Deborah Boardman in Greenbelt, Maryland, while the government pursues its appeal.

The Richmond, Virginia-based appeals court separately voted 8-7 against taking up the matter “en banc,” meaning all active judges would decide.

A dissenting judge warned that letting DOGE access personal information belonging to millions of Americans “lets the proverbial genie out of the bottle.” Five labour groups led by the American Federation of Teachers and six military veterans accused President Donald Trump’s administration of violating federal privacy laws by letting Musk’s team review Americans’ sensitive personal data.

The information includes Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, income, citizenship status, student loan borrowings and veterans’ disability benefits.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2025