US President Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to let Elon Musk’s team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access sensitive Social Security data. This move aims to expand the influence of Musk and his team, referred to by Trump as his “First Buddy.” On Friday, Solicitor General D. John Sauer filed an “emergency application” with the court to grant DOGE access to this personal information.

According to the court records, Sauer argued that the lower court’s decision had blocked urgent federal actions. “The application presents a now-familiar theme,” Sauer wrote. He claimed a district court had issued a broad ban “without legal authority,” harming federal efforts and limiting the executive branch.

Administration Faces Legal Pushback

Recently, the Trump administration has submitted several similar emergency appeals. These include efforts to defend Trump’s strict immigration measures and his attempt to eliminate birthright citizenship. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on May 15 regarding the limits of court orders in such cases.

Lower Courts Resist Trump’s Demands

Trump and his allies have often criticized lower court judges for blocking his key policies. One such ruling came from Judge Ellen L. Hollander of the US District Court in Maryland. She blocked DOGE’s access to the full Social Security database, citing privacy concerns.

Judge Hollander stated that the Social Security Administration values the privacy of the public’s personal data. She allowed limited access only to redacted or anonymized records and only after DOGE staff receive privacy training. They must also pass background checks and meet other conditions before gaining access.

The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit supported her decision and denied the government’s appeal. Now, the Supreme Court has asked the challengers—including two labor unions and an advocacy group—to respond to the petition by May 12.

Government vs. Privacy Concerns

In his Supreme Court filing, Sauer accused Judge Hollander of overstepping her authority. He argued that the court is blocking the executive branch from allowing DOGE staff to access data needed for government upgrades. “The district court is forcing the executive branch,” Sauer wrote, “to stop employees charged with modernising government information systems from accessing the data in those systems.”

He added, “The government cannot eliminate waste and fraud if district courts bar the very agency personnel with expertise and the designated mission of curtailing such waste and fraud from performing their jobs.”

However, Judge Hollander and other legal experts are worried about potential misuse. They believe the Trump administration could use this data to support its anti-immigration agenda. “To be sure, intrusion into the personal affairs of millions of Americans — absent an adequate explanation for the need to do so — is not in the public interest,” she wrote. She emphasized that the Social Security Administration has always promised to protect people’s privacy.

Awaiting Supreme Court Decision

Meanwhile, Sauer insisted that the judge should not interfere with executive functions. He warned that the injunction prevents the government from achieving critical goals like improving information systems and stopping fraud.

“The district court’s flawed injunction,” Sauer said, “forecloses the executive branch from carrying out the pressing priorities of modernizing government information systems and ferreting out fraud, waste, and abuse — all at the behest of plaintiffs who gave their information to the agencies with the knowledge that other government employees may access their data.”

Now, all eyes are on the Supreme Court as it prepares to decide on this contentious issue.