{"id":2682763,"date":"2026-10-13T12:07:01","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T16:07:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignscotus-agrees-to-weigh-leftist-groups-gambit-to-acquire-doge-records\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T12:09:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T16:09:00","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignscotus-agrees-to-weigh-leftist-groups-gambit-to-acquire-doge-records","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignscotus-agrees-to-weigh-leftist-groups-gambit-to-acquire-doge-records\/","title":{"rendered":"SCOTUS To Decide If Leftist Group Can Acquire DOGE Records"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignscotus-agrees-to-weigh-leftist-groups-gambit-to-acquire-doge-records%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2682763&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the U.S. Supreme Court&#8217;s decision to hear a significant case involving the right of a leftist nonprofit,Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW),to obtain records from President Trump&#8217;s Department of Government Efficiency,known as DOGE. CREW requested these records via FOIA to investigate DOGE&#8217;s organizational details, but the Trump administration argued DOGE qualifies as an advisory body not subject to FOIA due to its role within the executive branch. Lower courts had split over whether DOGE\u2019s records should be disclosed, with some rulings favoring transparency and others invoking separation of powers concerns. Ultimately, the Supreme Court agreed to review the case, which traces back to efforts starting in 2025 by CREW to access DOGE&#8217;s documents, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >amid ongoing legal battles involving administrative<\/a> and constitutional considerations. The case raises significant questions about executive branch confidentiality, the scope of FOIA, and the separation of powers. No date has been set yet for oral arguments.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:P20260929DT-1541_(55560393492)_(cropped).jpg\">Daniel Torok\/The White House\/Wikimedia Commons<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/10\/13\/scotus-agrees-to-weigh-leftist-groups-gambit-to-acquire-doge-records\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=SCOTUS Agrees To Weigh Leftist Group\u2019s Gambit To Acquire DOGE Records&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/10\/13\/scotus-agrees-to-weigh-leftist-groups-gambit-to-acquire-doge-records\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=SCOTUS Agrees To Weigh Leftist Group\u2019s Gambit To Acquire DOGE Records&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/10\/13\/scotus-agrees-to-weigh-leftist-groups-gambit-to-acquire-doge-records\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/10\/13\/scotus-agrees-to-weigh-leftist-groups-gambit-to-acquire-doge-records\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=SCOTUS Agrees To Weigh Leftist Group\u2019s Gambit To Acquire DOGE Records&#038;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/10\/13\/scotus-agrees-to-weigh-leftist-groups-gambit-to-acquire-doge-records\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\">                     <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); pfTrackEvent(&#039;SCOTUS Agrees To Weigh Leftist Group\u2019s Gambit To Acquire DOGE Records&#039;); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\">                     <span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span>                     <\/a>                 <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div class=\"pf-content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to take up a major case that will decide whether a leftist nonprofit can acquire records from President Trump\u2019s Department of Government Efficiency (<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/doge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DOGE<\/a>). <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The high court revealed in its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/orders\/courtorders\/101326zor_qol1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">newest order list<\/a> that it has added <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/docket\/docketfiles\/html\/public\/25-1103.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">U.S. DOGE Service v. U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia<\/a><\/em>  to its 2026 merits docket. This means that the justices have agreed to schedule the case for oral argument and will subsequently release a decision on the merits of the issues presented. <\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1672306723\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The case\u2019s origins can be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/supreme-court-doge-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">traced<\/a> back to early 2025, when the nonprofit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/citizens-for-responsibility-and-ethics-in-washington\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)<\/a> filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking to obtain records about DOGE, which was established to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government. This included attempts to acquire DOGE\u2019s \u201corganizational chart and financial disclosures,\u201d according to CBS News. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As described by InfluenceWatch, the Soros-backed CREW is a leftist advocacy group \u201cfocused on public integrity issues.\u201d The organization has gained a reputation for \u201copposing actions of both the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/government-agency\/trump-administration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">first<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/hub\/second-trump-administration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">second Trump administrations<\/a>,\u201d which includes filing \u201cseveral lawsuits challenging administrative actions since the beginning of the second Trump administration in 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In rejecting CREW\u2019s request, the Trump administration argued that DOGE is not subject to FOIA because it serves as an advisory entity to the president and operates as part of his office. As such, CREW asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to compel DOGE to turn over the sought-after records.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">D.C. District Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama appointee, <a href=\"https:\/\/ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov\/cgi-bin\/show_public_doc?2025cv0511-18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ruled<\/a> in spring 2025 that DOGE is \u201clikely covered by FOIA.\u201d The Obama appointee went on to order the fraud investigator to \u201cprocess CREW\u2019s request on an expedited timetable and \u2026 begin producing documents on a rolling basis as soon as practicable,\u201d and later <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/supreme-court-doge-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">permitted<\/a> CREW to depose DOGE administrator Amy Gleason. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Trump administration ultimately filed an emergency application asking SCOTUS to temporarily pause Cooper\u2019s order while litigation continued. The high court <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/orders\/courtorders\/060625zr_5426.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">granted<\/a> this request (6-3) in June 2025, finding that \u201cportions\u201d of Cooper\u2019s discovery order requiring \u201cthe Government to disclose the content of intra\u2013Executive Branch [DOGE] recommendations and whether those recommendations were followed are not appropriately tailored.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c[S]eparation of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-hands-doge-two-big-wins\/\" title=\"Supreme ... hands ... two big wins\">powers concerns counsel judicial deference<\/a> and restraint in the context of discovery regarding internal Executive Branch communications,\u201d the majority ruled at the time. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Upon remand to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, CREW <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/DocketPDF\/25\/25-1103\/401464\/20260320153005145_USDS%20v%20Dist.%20Ct.%20Cert%20Petition%20final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">withdrew<\/a> its request for several categories of records. The organization still attempted to acquire information through its discovery requests, such as \u201cactions \u2018directed\u2019 by [DOGE] at federal agencies\u201d and \u201call \u2018directives\u2019 made by [DOGE\u2019s] Administrator to [DOGE\u2019s] employees.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The D.C. Circuit subsequently sided with CREW. In permitting the collection of sought-after information to move forward, the appellate court ruled that the group sufficiently narrowed its request in a way that complied with the Supreme Court\u2019s interim order.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With nowhere left to turn, the Trump administration <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/DocketPDF\/25\/25-1103\/401464\/20260320153005145_USDS%20v%20Dist.%20Ct.%20Cert%20Petition%20final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">petitioned<\/a> SCOTUS in March. The government asked the justices to determine \u201c[w]hether the court of appeals\u2019 order departed from this court\u2019s instructions and the separation-of-powers principles that this court articulated in <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oyez.org\/cases\/2003\/03-475\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cheney v. United States District Court<\/a><\/em>\u201d and \u201cwhether a court may order broad discovery against an Executive Office advisory body \u2014 potentially providing much information sought on the merits of a plaintiff\u2019s FOIA claims \u2014 to determine whether FOIA\u2019s disclosure requirements apply in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A date for oral arguments in <em>U.S. DOGE Service v. U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia<\/em> has not been announced as of this article\u2019s publication. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags no-print bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/christopher-cooper\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Christopher Cooper<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/crew\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">CREW<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/doge\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Doge<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/elon-musk\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Elon Musk<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/executive-office-of-the-president\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Executive Office of the President<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/foia\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">FOIA<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/open-records-request\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">open records request<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/scotus\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">SCOTUS<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Supreme Court<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SCOTUS to Decide if Nonprofit Can Access Trump Records<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2682764,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Trump-and-Musk.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[12577,23466,32546,32275],"class_list":["post-2682763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-cryptocurrency","tag-doge","tag-legal-decision","tag-supreme-court"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Trump-and-Musk.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2682763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2682763"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2682763\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2682767,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2682763\/revisions\/2682767"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2682764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2682763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2682763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2682763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}