Federal court rules OPM unlawful disclosure of employee data to DOGE

A federal judge in New York has ruled that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) violated the Privacy Act of 1974 by disclosing millions of federal employee records to agents of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

In a summary judgment issued on October 20, 2026, Judge Denise Cote found that OPM violated provisions restricting the disclosure of personal records between agencies and those requiring the protection of record security and confidentiality. The court noted that the pursuit of a modernization agenda did not justify granting DOGE agents sweeping and expedited access to systems containing personally identifiable information (PII).

The data, which includes sensitive information such as employment histories, salary details, and contact information for tens of millions of federal employees, retirees, and job applicants, was disclosed starting in January 2025. While many DOGE agents have since left the government and OPM has rescinded their database access, the court will determine the legal remedy at a later date.