Federal Workers Subpoenaed in DOGE Office Lawsuit
A judge has ruled that federal employees associated with the White House DOGE office are subject to subpoenas in an ongoing lawsuit. The AFL-CIO, a prominent trade union, has filed this lawsuit to obtain information regarding the handling of sensitive data by the DOGE office.
US District Judge John Bates emphasized the “unclear” structure and authority of the DOGE office as significant factors influencing his legal ruling.
Details of the Ruling
On Thursday, a federal judge granted a motion requiring federal workers connected to the White House DOGE office to provide testimony under oath. This decision arose from a lawsuit initiated by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, one of the largest trade unions in the United States. The lawsuit, filed on February 5, sought access to sensitive personal data and named the DOGE office along with the Department of Labor as defendants.
The ruling allows the plaintiffs to conduct four depositions—one for each of the agencies involved in the lawsuit: the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, as well as the United States DOGE Service. However, the judge specified that the cumulative duration of the depositions is limited to “eight hours in total.”
Judge’s Remarks on Depositions
Judge Bates noted that defendants have argued against the depositions strenuously. However, he indicated that limiting the depositions to specific topics and a defined timeframe mitigated the burden on the defendants.
The topics permitted for discussion during the depositions encompass:
- Changes in access to agency systems following the establishment of the DOGE office.
- The role of DOGE office employees within these agencies.
- Usage of sensitive systems by those employees at the respective agencies.
Uncertainty on Officials’ Testimonies
It is currently unclear which specific officials from the Trump administration might be called to testify during the depositions. This lawsuit is among more than 85 legal actions contesting the DOGE office’s authority.
The AFL-CIO has requested expedited discovery, referencing limited information available about the DOGE office’s operations. In his ruling, Judge Bates asserted that the DOGE office’s “structure” and “scope of authority” are not only ambiguous in the present record but also essential for determining the applicable legal framework to the agency.
He emphasized the need for plaintiffs to investigate these factual issues through limited discovery before ruling on a preliminary injunction motion, stating that it would be “strange” to allow defendants to present evidence on critical factual matters without allowing plaintiffs the opportunity to explore those issues.
Requests for comments from the White House, the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau remain unanswered as of now.
