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The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene and stop a lower court’s order requiring Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to release internal documents to a government watchdog group.

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The emergency appeal filed Wednesday centers on whether DOGE, a controversial agency created under Trump’s sweeping effort to “streamline” the federal government, should be considered a federal agency subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The administration argues it is merely a presidential advisory body—and therefore exempt from public transparency laws.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has been pushing for the release of DOGE’s records, citing concerns over a lack of transparency and unchecked power. A February lawsuit from CREW accused DOGE of operating in the shadows, describing the agency as wielding “shockingly broad power” with no public accountability.

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At the center of the legal firestorm is acting DOGE administrator Amy Gleason, who, under current court orders, would be required to testify under oath and produce documents within three weeks.

Judge Christopher Cooper of the U.S. District Court for D.C. previously ruled that DOGE’s activities appear to go well beyond advisory functions. In his March decision, Cooper cited DOGE’s role in terminating contracts, shuttering the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and cutting billions in government funding—actions that suggest DOGE is exercising executive authority, not merely offering guidance.

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“Canceling any government contract would seem to require substantial authority—and canceling them on this scale certainly does,” wrote Cooper. He added that DOGE “likely has at least some independent authority to identify and terminate federal employees, federal programs, and federal contracts.”

Although a federal appeals court temporarily paused Cooper’s ruling, a separate panel reinstated it, setting a June 13 deadline for the administration to comply.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer urged the high court to act swiftly, calling the orders “extraordinarily overbroad and intrusive.”

This is just the latest in a series of emergency appeals from the Trump White House, following repeated legal setbacks in lower courts aimed at halting parts of the administration’s agenda.

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