PHOENIX – Attorney General Kris Mayes announces an initial victory in her lawsuit stopping Elon Musk and his so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) from accessing Arizonans’ private information. Today, a federal judge in the Southern District of New York granted her motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) just a few hours after she and a coalition of 19 attorneys general sued to ensure Elon Musk and his DOGE employees are now blocked from accessing Americans’ most sensitive personal information and must immediately destroy any and all copies of records they have already obtained.
"Early this morning we won a court order that blocks Elon Musk, the unelected billionaire attempting an administrative coupe of the federal government, from accessing Arizonans' private personal like your Social Security numbers and Veteran benefit information at the Treasury Department," said Attorney General Mayes. "This is yet another win against the Trump administration as my office works tirelessly to protect Arizonans from the illegal and unconstitutional acts Trump attacks."
Last week, the U.S. Department of the Treasury adopted a new policy that granted “special government employees,” including Elon Musk and DOGE staffers, access to its central payment system. This payment system contains Americans’ private personal data and controls vital funding that millions of Americans depend on, including Social Security payments, veterans’ benefits, Medicare and Medicaid payments, and more. The payment system also controls billions of dollars that states rely on to support essential services like law enforcement, public education, health care, and critical infrastructure.
Yesterday, Attorney General Mayes joined a coalition of other attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration to stop this unauthorized disclosure of Americans’ private information and sensitive data. Early this morning, a federal judge found that the states proved they were likely to succeed on their "particularly strong" statutory claims and would suffer irreparable harm without urgent court intervention.
Elon Musk and his DOGE employees are now blocked from accessing Americans’ most sensitive personal information and must immediately destroy any and all copies of records they have already obtained. The court will hear arguments on Attorney General Mayes and the coalition’s motion for a preliminary injunction on February 14, 2025.
Joining Attorney General Mayes in this lawsuit are the attorneys general of New York, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
A copy of the court filing is available here.