Eisen says the government had no business giving DOGE the personal data of tens of millions of people
Norm EisenExecutive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund, co-counsel for the plaintiffs
In a Democracy Defenders Fund statement on the ruling, executive chair Norm Eisen, co-counsel for the plaintiffs, calls it a resounding victory and says the government had no business giving DOGE the personal data of tens of millions of people.
“The federal government had no business handing the personal data of tens of millions of people to Elon Musk and DOGE”
Official statement
Where this statement fits
Judge Cote rules OPM's DOGE data access broke the Privacy Act; the government argues no relief is needed
Judge Denise Cote ruled on October 20, 2026 that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management violated the Privacy Act when it gave DOGE agents broad access to systems holding federal workers' personal records in early 2025. The government argued the access went to OPM employees and that no further relief is warranted. The court has not yet decided relief.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
Democracy Defenders Fund, co-counsel for the plaintiffs, announces the ruling with statements from its executive chair, AFGE's national president and other counsel.
Before the quotation
The Democracy Defenders Fund release says the court ruled that OPM violated the Privacy Act and that the ruling did not decide whether further relief is warranted.
After the quotation
Eisen goes on to call the ruling a rebuke of the administration and says the court made clear that no agency or special government employee like Musk is above the law.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case concerns OPM's decision to give DOGE agents access to federal personnel records. Eisen says the government had no business handing over that data, which condemns the conduct under scrutiny.
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- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management
More from this case
Read the full caseEFF says OPM's disclosure to DOGE violated the Privacy Act
Electronic Frontier Foundation
“This disclosure violates the federal Privacy Act of 1974, a watershed anti-surveillance statute that prevents the federal government from abusing our personal information.”Read statement
Cote rules OPM's grant of DOGE access to personnel records was unlawful
“OPM’s decision to grant DOGE Agents broad access to its systems of records containing PII without a demonstrated need was unlawful”Read statement
Government says OPM-2 and OPM-18 were OPM employees at all relevant times
U.S. Office of Personnel Management
“it should still conclude that OPM-2 and OPM-18 were at all relevant times OPM employees, as the totality of the evidence refutes plaintiffs’ characterization”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Eisen says the government had no business giving DOGE the personal data of tens of millions of people". First published: 2026-10-27. Last updated: 2026-10-27. https://disputeindex.com/events/6976-in-a-democracy-defenders-fund-statement-on-the