Judge Extends Restrictions on Musk’s Access to Sensitive Treasury Data

A case that could test the ability of other branches of government to act as checks on the Trump administration began on Friday with a hearing on whether Elon Musk and his young aides should have access to the Treasury’s most sensitive payment and data systems.

The hearing, in federal court in Manhattan, came a week after 19 state attorneys general led by Letitia James of New York sued to block the administration’s policy of allowing political appointees and “special government employees” led by Mr. Musk access to the systems.

The judge presiding over the hearing extended an earlier judicial order that had temporarily restricted Mr. Musk’s team’s access to the Treasury systems. She said she would decide soon whether to keep the restrictions in place until a final ruling is made, which could take months.

The attorneys general’s suit is one of dozens challenging the sweeping agenda President Trump has initiated since taking office, and the federal courts have proved to be the fastest path to temporary relief for federal employees, states and individuals concerned with the president’s new policies.

Government lawyers representing Mr. Trump and the Treasury have argued that the courts do not have the right to usurp the president’s power to give access to federal agencies to whomever he chooses.

On Friday, a representative of the Treasury’s inspector general said the office was examining the activities of Mr. Musk’s team, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Lawyers for the government said in court that there were emails the team had sent to recipients outside the Treasury but that they didn’t “presently know” what the emails said or if they contained sensitive information.