Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) must comply with a request to disclose its internal records. In a ruling on Monday, US District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper wrote that DOGE is likely covered by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), adding that “the public would be irreparably harmed by an indefinite delay in unearthing the records.”

The ruling stems from a lawsuit from an ethics watchdog group — the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) — that sued DOGE for failing to hand over documents related to communications between staffers and federal agencies, organizational charts, financial disclosures, and other records.

Judge Cooper has ordered DOGE and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to produce the documents requested by CREW “on an expedited basis.” He concluded that DOGE is “likely exercising substantial independent authority” compared to other agencies, likely making it subject to FOIA.

“Despite efforts and claims to the contrary, the government cannot hide the actions of the US DOGE Service,” Donald Sherman, CREW’s executive director and chief counsel, said in a response to the ruling. “We look forward to the expedited processing of our requests and making all the DOGE documents public.”