• A New York judge permits one DOGE staff member access to Treasury Department data.
• Ryan Wunderly must complete specific training and disclose financial information.
• The ruling follows a lawsuit by 19 state attorneys general concerning privacy issues.
• Concerns remain over political appointees accessing sensitive financial data.
• The decision reflects ongoing tensions over government efficiency initiatives led by Elon Musk.

A New York federal judge, Jeannette A. Vargas, has partially lifted a ban that restricted access by members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to sensitive information at the Treasury Department. Under her ruling, staffer Ryan Wunderly can access Treasury payment systems, but only after completing rigorous training typically required for Treasury employees and submitting a financial disclosure report, which must be maintained as part of the agreement, according to The New York Times.

The initial restrictions were a response to a lawsuit filed by 19 Democratic state attorneys general, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James. The lawsuit argued that allowing political appointees like those in Musk's DOGE team to access sensitive information posed a risk to privacy and was inappropriate for non-career civil servants, according to The Hill. “Musk and DOGE have no authority to access Americans’ private information,” James stated during the lawsuit proceedings.

The ruling to grant Wunderly access represents a significant shift in the courtroom battle over who can engage with the Treasury's data systems, which hold sensitive information including Social Security and bank account numbers. The judge's decision comes amidst a context of attempts by DOGE to modernize government payment systems, deemed crucial for efficiency by Musk's team, according to Forbes.