Hello and welcome to the SCOTUS News Tracker podcast. I'm Jason, your reporter for all the latest developments from the US Supreme Court.

In recent days, the Supreme Court has made some significant decisions, particularly on its emergency docket. On Friday, the Court handed down two key rulings in favor of the Trump administration. The first decision allowed members of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to access records from the Social Security Administration. This move was challenged by two labor unions and a grassroots advocacy group, who argued that granting DOGE access would compromise the privacy of personal data for millions of Americans.

In the second decision, the Court temporarily paused an order from a federal judge in Washington, D.C., that would have required DOGE to provide information in a lawsuit filed under the Freedom of Information Act. Instead, the justices instructed the federal appeals court to re-examine the order with a more skeptical eye.

These decisions come after President Donald Trump created DOGE through an executive order on the first day of his second term, aiming to modernize government technology and reduce waste and fraud.

These rulings highlight the ongoing use of the Supreme Court's emergency docket, often referred to as the "shadow docket," which involves applications seeking immediate action from the Court.

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