Latest news with #JohnD.Bates
The Hill
12 hours ago
- Business
- The Hill
Judge won't block DOGE access to sensitive government data
A federal judge ruled Friday that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) can continue to access sensitive data on millions of Americans at certain agencies, handing at least a temporary defeat to the labor unions that have sued to block the practice. Judge John D. Bates of the U.S. District Court in D.C. declined to grant the plaintiffs a preliminary injunction against the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services, pending further proceedings in the case. The AFL-CIO and other unions filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent DOGE employees from accessing information such as medical files, financial histories, social security numbers, and addresses. In his ruling, Bates said that the plaintiffs had not demonstrated sufficient evidence of harm to merit an injunction, although he remained concerned about the prospect of DOGE's access. 'Absent evidence those personnel will imminently misuse or publicly disclose that information, the Court cannot say that irreparable harm will clearly occur before the Court can make a final determination on the merits,' he wrote. 'And without irreparable harm, a preliminary injunction cannot issue.' Still, Bates acknowledged the sensitivity of the data access, writing that the 'DOGE Affiliates have their hands on some of the most personal information individuals entrust to the government.' '[T]he Court's concerns are as grave as ever, and it stands ready to remedy plaintiffs' harm should they ultimately succeed on the merits,' he wrote. Bates asked the parties to propose a schedule for reaching summary judgment. The ruling is yet another setback for the labor unions, who first brought their suit in February and have been twice denied temporary restraining orders. Bates himself has ruled on a number of Trump-related cases and has at times drawn ire from the president. He has ordered the administration to restore certain government websites and ruled that Trump's executive order targeting the law firm Jenner & Block was unconstitutional. A host of lawsuits over DOGE's access to private government data are slowly playing out across federal courts. A federal judge ruled last week that the government must submit a report detailing DOGE's level of access to personally identifiable information at the Office of Personnel Management in response to another lawsuit filed by the AFL-CIO. The Supreme Court earlier this month allowed DOGE to proceed in its efforts at the Social Security Administration, staying a preliminary injunction in a case brought by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.
Washington Post
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
A judge's portrait unveiled, and a defense of judicial independence
Judge John D. Bates first drew the ire of President Donald Trump's allies when he directed the administration to restore health-related webpages that were abruptly removed to comply with an executive order on gender. One Republican lawmaker labeled Bates a radical LGBTQ activist and called for his impeachment, criticizing the ruling as 'utterly lacking in intellectual honesty and basic integrity.'
New York Times
11-02-2025
- Health
- New York Times
A federal judge orders the C.D.C. to temporarily restore pages it removed to comply with Trump's edict.
A federal judge has ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to temporarily restore the pages it has taken down from its website to comply with President Trump's executive order barring any references to race, gender identity or sexual orientation. Judge John D. Bates of the D.C. Federal District Court issued the temporary restraining order at the request of a left-leaning advocacy group, Doctors for America, saying the deletions put 'everyday Americans and most acutely, underprivileged Americans' in jeopardy. The order requires the sites to be restored while the case against the pages' removal is being considered. The pages the C.D.C. took down included information from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, a nationwide survey that has tracked high school students' behaviors since 1990. Doctors complained that guidance for treating specific diseases, including sexually transmitted diseases, also went missing. Zach Shelley, a lawyer for the consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen, which is representing Doctors for America in the case, said the removal meant that one of his clients was unable to respond to an outbreak of the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia. In an email message, he called the judge's order 'an important victory for doctors, patients, and the public health of the whole country.' In issuing his order, Judge Bates cited complaints from doctors who said that the materials lost were 'more than academic references — they are vital for real-time clinical decision-making.'
Washington Post
11-02-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
Judge orders CDC, FDA to restore websites taken down after Trump gender order
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the nation's premier health agencies to restore online access to several websites that monitor HIV, health risks for youths and assisted reproductive technologies, which were abruptly taken offline to ensure they complied with Trump's recent executive order on gender. U.S. District Judge John D. Bates granted a temporary restraining order requested by the nonprofit advocacy group Doctors for America, directing the administration to bring back public information maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) while a lawsuit challenging the administration's decision to remove it is pending.
Washington Post
08-02-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Judge lets DOGE access sensitive records at Labor Department
A federal judge has ruled that the Elon Musk-led U.S. DOGE Service can access Labor Department data on millions of Americans, marking a setback for labor unions that had sought to block the Department of Government Efficiency's work. Judge John D. Bates of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued the order on Friday night, ending a temporary block on DOGE access to Labor Department data.
