Chief Justice John Roberts grants Trump admin request to pause discovery in DOGE case

Roberts made the decision alone because he handles all emergency appeals that stem from Washington D.C., and the pause will remain in effect until the Supreme Court decides whether to make it permanent.

Published: May 23, 2025 4:43pm

Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts on Friday approved the Trump administration's request for an administrative stay in a lawsuit seeking documents about the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) operations.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer filed the request on Wednesday, one of the many emergency requests he's made since January, which asked the high court to stop DOGE from being forced to release records to the watchdog organization, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, through its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. 

Sauer argued that DOGE should be exempt from complying with FOIA requests because it is a presidential advisory group. The White House has also tried to argue that documents procured by DOGE are presidential records, and thereby exempt from FOIA.

Roberts made the decision alone because he handles all emergency appeals that arise from Washington, D.C., and the pause will remain in effect until the Supreme Court decides whether to make it permanent. Roberts can make that decision alone, or the full court can weigh in, per The Hill

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.

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