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A federal judge has ordered Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to stop accessing sensitive financial and personal data at the U.S. Treasury Department. The emergency ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer on Saturday, cites cybersecurity threats and unauthorized data handling.

New York Attorney General Letitia James and 19 other state attorneys sued, arguing that DOGE’s access threatens government systems and personal data security. The lawsuit claims that DOGE has no legal right to review Treasury payment systems, which handle Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and state grants.

The judge ordered Musk’s team to destroy any Treasury records they may have obtained and blocked further access until a court hearing on February 14. He warned that unauthorized disclosures and security breaches were a serious risk.

Concerns have grown over DOGE’s use of third-party artificial intelligence to process federal agency data. Experts fear this increases the chance of hacking and data misuse. Musk’s associate, Tom Krause, now oversees $5 trillion in Treasury disbursements after a senior career official who opposed DOGE’s access resigned. This appointment has raised concerns about political influence over federal financial operations.

Trump appointee Scott Bessent, who heads the Treasury Department, insists that he granted Musk’s team read-only access to payment records. However, cybersecurity experts and state officials argue that even limited access could expose government systems to breaches.

The lawsuit seeks to revoke DOGE’s Treasury access and declare the policy change illegal. A security audit has recommended cutting DOGE’s access immediately to prevent data leaks. The court’s February 14 hearing will decide the fate of Musk’s involvement in federal financial operations.