Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday granted a temporary stay on lower court orders that would have compelled the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, to publicly disclose operational details.
The decision follows an appeal by the Trump administration to the Supreme Court, stemming from a lawsuit filed by the government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email Friday for comment.
Why It Matters
Since his January inauguration, President Donald Trump has enacted sweeping change across the federal political landscape, mainly through executive orders and implementing DOGE.
The task force has been spearheaded by billionaire Musk in Trump’s second term in the Oval Office. The Tesla CEO has pushed for DOGE to have access to numerous departments, and the process has led to legal battles nationwide.
What To Know
CREW contends that DOGE, a central component of Trump’s government overhaul efforts, functions as a federal agency and should, therefore, be subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). However, the administration argues that DOGE serves merely as a presidential advisory body focused on eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse and is therefore exempt from FOIA requirements.
The watchdog group filed its suit in February, criticizing DOGE’s broad influence and lack of transparency, citing involvement in shutting down USAID and slashing government contracts.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper had ordered DOGE to release documents and required acting administrator Amy Gleason to testify under oath by June 13—a move Solicitor General D. John Sauer described as “extraordinarily overbroad and intrusive.” The case adds to a growing list of emergency appeals stemming from legal challenges to Trump’s expansive agenda.
“UPON CONSIDERATION of the application of counsel for the applicants and the response filed thereto, IT IS ORDERED that the April 15, 2025, and May 20, 2025 orders of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, case No. 25-cv511, are hereby stayed pending further order of the undersigned or of the Court,” Roberts said in the Friday order.
What People Are Saying
American Oversight’s Executive Director Chioma Chukwu in an emailed statement to Newsweek on Friday: “We are deeply disappointed that the Supreme Court has granted the Trump administration’s request to block discovery in a case with profound implications for transparency and the rule of law. This decision delays much-needed answers about the shadowy operations of DOGE and the role Elon Musk and others are playing in reshaping our federal government behind closed doors.
“But this fight is far from over,” Chukwu said. “The American people deserve to know who is making decisions that impact their lives — and under what authority. The stay granted today does not resolve the underlying legal questions about whether DOGE is a federal agency subject to FOIA. It simply postpones the truth.
“We will continue to fight in the courts and with every tool available to us to ensure that this administration cannot hide its actions from the people it purports to serve. Transparency is not optional — it is foundational to democracy.”
Democratic New York Senator Kristen Gillibrand on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday: “DOGE is meddling with Social Security and attempting to access our sensitive data, and now the Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to help them hide their destruction. The American people deserve transparency.”
This article contains reporting by the Associated Press.
Update 5/23/25 6:16 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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