Supreme Court to Consider Trump Administration’s Appeal on Transparency Orders
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is seeking the Supreme Court’s intervention to prevent court orders that demand the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) hand over documents regarding its operations to a watchdog group.
This appeal by the Justice Department raises questions about the status of DOGE and whether it qualifies as a federal agency that must comply with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The administration argues that DOGE is simply an advisory group established by the president, thus exempt from FOIA document requests.
The administration’s move comes in response to a lawsuit filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which argues that DOGE holds significant power without the necessary transparency. CREW claims that DOGE’s actions and decisions lack oversight, making the organization’s operations a matter of public interest.
In a previous ruling, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper suggested that DOGE’s role may extend beyond advisory functions, citing evidence of its involvement in major governmental budget cuts, including the closure of USAID. According to Cooper, the ability to cancel government contracts indicates that DOGE likely possesses meaningful authority in its operations.
While an initial panel of the federal appeals court in Washington paused Cooper’s order, another panel later reinstated it, setting deadlines for the Trump administration to comply by June 13.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer emphasized the urgency of the matter, arguing that the requests imposed by Cooper are overly broad and intrusive. This case is part of a series of emergency appeals the Trump administration has brought to the Supreme Court in response to lower court actions that have posed challenges to its policy agenda.
