A U.S. District Judge has convened a rare hearing on Presidents Day to address a lawsuit filed by 13 Democratic state attorneys general against Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The plaintiffs seek a temporary restraining order to prevent DOGE from accessing federal agencies' information systems and from terminating or suspending employees. They argue that Musk's authority requires formal Senate confirmation under the Constitution's Appointments Clause and that DOGE lacks Congressional authorization. 

This legal action is part of a broader wave of challenges against DOGE's activities. Concerns have been raised about DOGE's attempts to access sensitive taxpayer data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Reports indicate that Musk's team is seeking access to the IRS's Integrated Data Retrieval System, which contains confidential taxpayer information. Democratic lawmakers and tax experts have criticized this move, describing it as an "illegal power grab" and expressing alarm over potential privacy violations. 

In response to these concerns, a federal judge recently issued a preliminary injunction blocking DOGE from accessing Treasury Department records containing sensitive personal data. The injunction mandates the immediate destruction of any unlawfully obtained information and restricts DOGE's access pending further legal proceedings.

These developments underscore the escalating legal and political disputes surrounding DOGE's authority and its efforts to access sensitive federal data.