DOGE Workers Must Be Named in Data Access Lawsuit, Judge Orders

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to reveal the identities of 16 Department of Government Efficiency agents as part of a lawsuit over access to federal workers’ personal information.

Judge Denise Cote of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York rejectedthe government’s argument to keep the names of the DOGE workers under seal, saying they are central to the case over the department’s access to personal information of more than 2 million federal employees.

Cote, in her ruling published late Wednesday, said there’s not enough evidence that DOGE officials would be put in danger, other than “generalized” references to harassment.

“The public interest in disclosure is substantial,” Cote wrote. “Where litigation challenges the government’s management of such information, the identity of the individuals entrusted with it bears directly on the public’s ability to understand the dispute, evaluate the Court’s rulings, and assess the governmental conduct at issue.”

The court in June 2025 temporarily blocked DOGE access to information on millions of Americans housed in the Office of Personnel Management, saying the American Federation of Government Employees would likely succeed in its legal challenge.

Cote, in her ruling, said some of the DOGE agents were “notably young and inexperienced,” did not demonstrate a legitimate need for access to the data, and broke the personnel office’s training and cybersecurity protocols.

The Trump administration previously told the court that only five of the DOGE agents still work for OPM. The identities of all 16 have already been made public through news reports, court filings, and public records, Cote wrote. She ordered the government to re-file records with the names unredacted.

The case is AFGE v. Office of Personnel Management, S.D.N.Y., 1:25-cv-01237-DLC, 4/1/26.