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Supreme Court Case TrackerThe Court, in plain English

Emergency application

Access to Social Security data

Social Security Administration v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees

Granted
No. 24A1063Stay applicationFiled by the federal governmentPresented to The Chief JusticeFrom United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

What did the Court do?

The Court granted the request on June 6, 2025: the lower court's ruling is on hold while the appeal continues.

Emergency rulings are temporary and do not decide the underlying case. Justice Kagan, Justice Jackson, and Justice Sotomayor would have ruled the other way.

Filed Ruled 35 days after filing

What's being asked

The federal government asks the Court to pause a Maryland judge's order limiting Department of Government Efficiency staff's access to Social Security Administration records. The dispute is whether the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) may access those records, which labor unions and a retirees' group challenge.

What the Court did

The Court gave the government emergency help (granted its request) and put the Maryland judge's temporary order on hold (stayed it). The order lets the agency give DOGE team members access while the Fourth Circuit appeal and any timely Supreme Court review proceed. Justice Jackson dissented (opposed the grant); Justice Sotomayor signed that dissent; Justice Kagan would refuse the request; no vote count was published.

  • Dissented
  • Wrote separately
  • Vote not published
Dissenting · 3recorded against the Court's order
  1. Sotomayorjoined Jackson's writing
  2. Kaganwould deny
  3. Jacksonwrote a dissent
Vote not published · 6the order does not say how they voted
  1. Roberts
  2. Thomas
  3. Alito
  4. Gorsuch
  5. Kavanaugh
  6. Barrett
The order records the positions of 3 of 9 justices. The Court usually does not say how each justice voted on an emergency application, so the rest are shown as not published.
Half of 82 rulings on applications where the Court asked for a response came 10 to 26 days after filing, and the median was 17 days; this one was ruled on 35 days after filing.

What it means

This emergency pause is temporary and does not decide who wins the dispute over DOGE's access. The appeal continues in the Fourth Circuit. No related case to decide the main legal questions is listed, and no argument is set for this request.

Separate writings

  • Justice Jackson, joined by Justice Sotomayor, dissenting

    Read (PDF)

Sources

Facts on this page come from the Supreme Court docket, orders, and opinions for No. 24A1063. The answers restate that record in plain words; explainer copy is written from the record and the filings only.

Checked October 4, 2026