BREAKING: DC Circuit holds that DOGE must turn over records to CREW.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

9. Additional information:

Lawsuits involving the Department of Government Efficiency

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Public records and record-keeping requirements
On February 11, watchdog organization American Oversight [Wikidata] filed a lawsuit to gain access to all of Musk's communications involving the termination of employees across the federal government. Its lawsuit states that DOGE is subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

On February 19, the nonpartisan watchdog group Project on Government Oversight sued Trump, DOGE, and the DOGE administrator over the claim that DOGE records are subject to the Presidential Records Act, and therefore not subject to public records requests. The lawsuit argues that DOGE is subject to the Federal Records Act since it is acting like a federal agency.

On February 20, watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington sued DOGE to produce documents via the Freedom of Information Act.[107] On March 10, the presiding judge, Christopher R. Cooper, ordered DOGE to produce the documents for CREW, finding that DOGE's "secrecy" and "rapid pace" warranted "quick release of information about its structure and activities".[108][109] While making his ruling, Cooper concluded that "the authority exercised by [DOGE] across the federal government and the dramatic cuts it has apparently made with no congressional input appear to be unprecedented".[108][110] Cooper found that DOGE "obtained unprecedented access to sensitive personal and classified data and payment systems across federal agencies" and "appears to have the power not just to evaluate federal programs, but to drastically reshape and even eliminate them wholesale".[107][110]

American Oversight v. U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (D.D.C.), 1:25-cv-00409[111]
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington v. U.S. DOGE Service (D.D.C.), 1:25-cv-00511[112]
Democracy Forward Foundation v. U.S. Department of the Treasury (D.D.C.), 1:25-cv-00684[113]
Democracy Forward Foundation v. U.S. Marshals Service (D.D.C.), 1:25-cv-00749[114]
Project on Government Oversight, Inc. v. Trump (D.D.C.), 1:25-cv-00527[115]

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[112] "Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington v. U.S. DOGE Service, 1:25-cv-00511". CourtListener. Retrieved April 4, 2025.

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