Author Topic: Judge blocks DOGE access to Treasury data after NY AG Letitia James leads blue states in lawsuit  (Read 2605 times)

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Online mystery-ak

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Judge blocks DOGE access to Treasury data after NY AG Letitia James leads blue states in lawsuit
February 8, 2025 | Vivek Saxena

Nineteen Democrat attorneys general led by wildly leftist New York Attorney General Letitia James sued the Trump administration on Friday demanding the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) be denied access to Treasury Department records.

U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, an Obama appointee, was quick to act on the lawsuit, blocking DOGE early Saturday from accessing Treasury records that contain sensitive personal data such as Social Security and bank account numbers for millions of Americans, NPR reported.

The suit was filed specifically by the Democrat AGs of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.


https://twitter.com/NewYorkStateAG/status/1888015007947870317

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https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/02/08/judge-blocks-doge-access-to-treasury-data-after-ny-ag-letitia-james-leads-blue-states-in-lawsuit-1521493/
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Offline bilo

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They can slow DOGE down for awhile, but they can't stop them. The Chief Executive runs the executive branch and if he wants to audit dept.'s to see where the mismanagement is he has every right to do so. If the argument the obstructors are making is the auditors don't have security clearance to do their jobs the POTUS can give it to them.

The Rats are so insane they don't even realize they are cementing their image as the party of BIG GOVERNMENT in the minds of the public.
We have a beach head. Now it's time to win the war and save the Republic.

Offline Hoodat

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Nineteen Democrat attorneys general led by wildly leftist New York Attorney General Letitia James sued the Trump administration on Friday demanding the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) be denied access to Treasury Department records.

But . . . but they don't have standing.  This is a Federal matter, not a State matter.  There is no State law that decides access to Federal Treasury records.
If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.     -Dwight Eisenhower-

"The [U.S.] Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals ... it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government ... it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizen's protection against the government."     -Ayn Rand-

Offline Smokin Joe

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If I can walk into a bank and thy ask for 'the last 4 of my social' to identify me, I'd say that cat is well out of the bag. How would they know?

Sure, the number is tied to my account, but the average teller?

Tracking where the OUR money went is how the networks feeding the Left are and will continue to be exposed. The left has quit reeling in shock and is beginning to regroup. The deep state will dig in in the courts and the 'trench war' will begin for America. Hopefully, enough of their funding apparatus (on our dime) has been exposed to cripple their efforts to prevent disclosure of their perfidy.

Yes, a lot of low level functionaries are going to be collateral damage. People who just went to work and processed this form or that report will lose jobs. But when you cut out a cancer, you take a margin of healthy tissue around it to make sure you got it all. In the long run, America will be better off. The whole 8 month buyout was a way to let those folks down gently and give them time to find a new job if they have the sense to see what's coming and to take advantage of the deal.
So much has changed in my industry (oil exploration) that there have been a few opportunities to shift job emphasis over the years that led to dead ends. Jobs once commonplace disappeared rapidly with innovation, and that continues. The trick is to read the writing on the wall, and act appropriately. Not moving 'up' can be to your advantage.

When the last of those let go leaves, someone will still be there, emptying the trash cans, scrubbing the floors and bathrooms, and doing general maintenance...(doing the essential jobs).
How God must weep at humans' folly! Stand fast! God knows what he is doing!
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Offline Free Vulcan

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But . . . but they don't have standing.  This is a Federal matter, not a State matter.  There is no State law that decides access to Federal Treasury records.

Exactly. And don't we also have an agreement with another court that designates who can go thru the files?
The Republic is lost.

Offline mountaineer

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Tom Cotton
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Outrageous. Obama Judge Paul Engelmayer didn’t just bar @elonmusk and @doge from Treasury systems, he barred the Secretary of the Treasury himself. Without citing a single law or even allowing Trump admin to appear in court! This outlaw should be reversed immediately and Engelmayer should be forbidden by higher courts from ever hearing another case against the Trump admin.
 https://wsj.com/us-news/law/federal-judge-blocks-elon-musks-doge-from-treasury-system-e0f1e55c?st=QQJrvW&reflink=article_imessage_share
4:12 PM · Feb 8, 2025
The abnormal is not the normal just because it is prevalent.
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Online rustynail

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How will they enforce this ruling?

Online mystery-ak

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 February 8, 2025 3:43pm EST | Updated February 8, 2025 4:49pm EST
Federal judge blocks Elon Musk's DOGE from accessing Treasury records after Democratic AGs file lawsuit
Elon Musk called the judge's decision 'absolutely insane'

By Andrea Margolis FOXBusiness


Tesla CEO Elon Musk's government efficiency team has been temporarily blocked from accessing certain government systems, according to a federal judge's ruling on Saturday.

U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer issued the ruling after a group of attorneys general sued Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on Friday, arguing that the presidential commission does not have the right to access U.S. Department of Treasury systems.

The order was condemned by Musk, who called the decision "absolutely insane" in an X post and accused Engelmayer of being "an activist posing as a judge."

"How on Earth are we supposed to stop fraud and waste of taxpayer money without looking at how money is spent?" Musk said on Saturday.

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https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/federal-judge-blocks-elon-musks-doge-from-accessing-treasury-records-after-democratic-ags-file-lawsuit
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Online mystery-ak

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Online mystery-ak

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Offline The_Reader_David

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This is an annoyance.  The appeal should be filed not by anyone in DOGE, but by the Secretary of the Treasury and the President of the United States.  Once this judge is slapped down law suits of this sort will dry up.
And when they behead your own people in the wars which are to come, then you will know what this was all about.

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Offline mountaineer

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LangleyPizzaDelivery
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The same people crying about Elon right now were very quiet when the same career bureaucrats failed at their job and allowed massive Social Security data breach under Biden's watch.
In fact, they memory-holed that whole story.
Story at USA Today
10:02 PM · Feb 8, 2025

Tracy Shuchart (𝒞𝒽𝒾 )
@chigrl
You all worried a billionaire has read only access to your personal info. on the US treasury site?
Did you know that you literally give all your personal data to GOOG, META, AMZN, TicTok every day on every post.
Some of you just accept terms without looking at what this means.
You accept them having access to your entire phone basically
8:21 PM · Feb 8, 2025

Keith Gross
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A judge has no Constitutional authority to ban an Executive Branch appointee from accessing anything in an Executive Branch agency.
The President is the head of the branch. The judge has no power over that plenary Constitutional authority.
Defy the orders. Impeach the judge.
6:05 PM · Feb 8, 2025

The abnormal is not the normal just because it is prevalent.
Roger Kimball, in a talk at Hillsdale College, 1/29/25

Offline mountaineer

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LAWFARE: In an egregious and unconstitutional assault on executive authority, Judge Paul Engelmayer has unilaterally forbidden all of Trump's political appointees—including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent—from accessing Treasury Department data. This ruling, concocted without legal precedent or constitutional justification, is nothing short of judicial sabotage. Worse, it was issued ex parte—meaning Trump administration lawyers weren’t given notice, weren’t allowed to argue, and weren’t even in the room. Only Democrat attorneys general were heard, ensuring a predetermined outcome.

Engelmayer’s order is legally indefensible. He cites no statutory basis because none exists. He offers no constitutional rationale because the Constitution directly contradicts him. Instead, he fabricates a fiction: that the duly appointed Treasury Secretary is nothing more than a ceremonial figurehead, akin to a powerless monarch, while unelected bureaucrats—who answer to no voters—control the nation’s finances. This is judicial tyranny masquerading as jurisprudence.

The implications are staggering. By stripping the executive branch of access to its own financial data, this ruling effectively transfers control of the federal purse to the permanent bureaucracy—the so-called “deep state.” That is a direct assault on the Constitution’s separation of powers, which vests executive authority in the elected President and his appointees, not in career government employees.

This is lawfare at its most brazen: a raw, partisan power grab dressed up in legalese. If allowed to stand, this decision sets the precedent that any left-wing judge can unilaterally strip the President of his authority and hand it to the administrative state. That is not democracy. It is not law. It is judicial dictatorship.

While the order is currently set to last only a week, no serious person believes this won’t be extended if the courts think they can get away with it. The Trump Administration should treat this for what it is—an unconstitutional usurpation—and consider defying it outright. No judge has the authority to cripple the executive branch and hand power to unelected bureaucrats.

Beyond that, the Supreme Court must intervene and overturn this blatant violation of constitutional governance. Judge Engelmayer should be barred from hearing any future cases related to executive authority, and every Democrat lawyer who enabled this attack on the Constitution should be sanctioned.

This is not a legal dispute—it is a coup by the judiciary against the elected government. And it cannot be allowed to stand.
Federal Judge Paul Engelmayer ordered that President Trump and each of his appointees were forbidden from accessing Treasury Department data without even allowing the president’s lawyers to appear or comment.
2:34 PM · Feb 8, 2025
The abnormal is not the normal just because it is prevalent.
Roger Kimball, in a talk at Hillsdale College, 1/29/25

Offline Free Vulcan

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There's already a court agreement where two designated individuals allowed access to Treasury files. I'd simply follow that court and ignore this one.
The Republic is lost.

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Why is everyone acting like this judge's ruling can't be appealed in a higher court?  The ruling clearly fails on several levels, and yet everyone seems to think that Pres. Trump's only possible reactions are to comply with the order, or defy it. 

Go to the appeals court for the district this judge serves in on Monday morning and file an appeal. If the appeal isn't upheld, take it to the Supreme Court. Only if the Supreme Court fails to overturn the ruling (they won't) does the option narrow down to comply or defy.
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Offline Kamaji

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Why is everyone acting like this judge's ruling can't be appealed in a higher court?  The ruling clearly fails on several levels, and yet everyone seems to think that Pres. Trump's only possible reactions are to comply with the order, or defy it. 

Go to the appeals court for the district this judge serves in on Monday morning and file an appeal. If the appeal isn't upheld, take it to the Supreme Court. Only if the Supreme Court fails to overturn the ruling (they won't) does the option narrow down to comply or defy.

:thumbsup:

Offline IsailedawayfromFR

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Why is everyone acting like this judge's ruling can't be appealed in a higher court?  The ruling clearly fails on several levels, and yet everyone seems to think that Pres. Trump's only possible reactions are to comply with the order, or defy it. 

Go to the appeals court for the district this judge serves in on Monday morning and file an appeal. If the appeal isn't upheld, take it to the Supreme Court. Only if the Supreme Court fails to overturn the ruling (they won't) does the option narrow down to comply or defy.
One word:  Time

Courts take time.  A lot of time. What you describe if very unlikely to be expedient.

One of the  best attributes of the 'shock and awe' being undertaken is the off-balance of the left and media in combating it.  Many actions taking place simultaneously and quickly.

Read up on military history and one can readily see some of the greatest victories were accomplished by speed, overwhelming the enemy.
“You will never understand bureaucracies until you understand that for bureaucrats procedure is everything and outcomes are nothing.” Thomas Sowell

Online Ghost Bear

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One word:  Time

Courts take time.  A lot of time. What you describe if very unlikely to be expedient.

One of the  best attributes of the 'shock and awe' being undertaken is the off-balance of the left and media in combating it.  Many actions taking place simultaneously and quickly.

Read up on military history and one can readily see some of the greatest victories were accomplished by speed, overwhelming the enemy.

While I agree with you that the "shock and awe" strategy of the Trump administration's first few weeks has worked well so far, and kept the Democrats back on their heels, the administration can do both: continue with DOGE's audit, while also filing in court to overturn the judge's ruling. Filing to overturn the judge's ruling will not only counter the Democrat's efforts to make this look like some kind of a rogue, non-governmental operation, it may also fend off future attempts to stop DOGE in the courts.
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Offline Kamaji

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One word:  Time

Courts take time.  A lot of time. What you describe if very unlikely to be expedient.

One of the  best attributes of the 'shock and awe' being undertaken is the off-balance of the left and media in combating it.  Many actions taking place simultaneously and quickly.

Read up on military history and one can readily see some of the greatest victories were accomplished by speed, overwhelming the enemy.

So, because we are unhappy with the pace of the judicial system - which, btw, the Founders intentionally designed to be a thorn in the sides of both the legislative and the executive - we're just going to ignore the process and do whatever the hell we want, and the courts be damned?

Or, in other words, because we're impatient we become the worst of the liberals we criticize?

Offline IsailedawayfromFR

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While I agree with you that the "shock and awe" strategy of the Trump administration's first few weeks has worked well so far, and kept the Democrats back on their heels, the administration can do both: continue with DOGE's audit, while also filing in court to overturn the judge's ruling. Filing to overturn the judge's ruling will not only counter the Democrat's efforts to make this look like some kind of a rogue, non-governmental operation, it may also fend off future attempts to stop DOGE in the courts.
No one said not to also appeal this,

You just seemed to infer it is no big deal.  It is, due to Time and keeping the opposition offbalance
“You will never understand bureaucracies until you understand that for bureaucrats procedure is everything and outcomes are nothing.” Thomas Sowell

Offline IsailedawayfromFR

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So, because we are unhappy with the pace of the judicial system - which, btw, the Founders intentionally designed to be a thorn in the sides of both the legislative and the executive - we're just going to ignore the process and do whatever the hell we want, and the courts be damned?

Or, in other words, because we're impatient we become the worst of the liberals we criticize?
Where did you get that garbage?

Did I say anything about not appealing?
“You will never understand bureaucracies until you understand that for bureaucrats procedure is everything and outcomes are nothing.” Thomas Sowell

Offline Kamaji

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Where did you get that garbage?

Did I say anything about not appealing?

Ah, yes, playing the literalist card - one of the last refuges of the incompetent.  I didn't actually say X, Y, or Z.  Yes, actually, you most definitely implied that "shock and awe" required ignoring the process for the sake of pursuing one's political agenda.