A federal judge on Monday night ordered the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to release internal documents requested under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) filing.

The judge said that the "rolling" production of records needs to take place within weeks, including the department's role in the firing of tens of thousands of government employees, the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the department's widespread access to sensitive government databases.

The ruling is a victory for the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which sued the government for the documents, per Politico.

DOGE is what was formerly known as the U.S. Digital Service (USDS). President Donald Trump renamed it the United States DOGE Service in an executive order back in January. 

“The authority exercised by USDS across the federal government and the dramatic cuts it has apparently made with no congressional input appear to be unprecedented,” U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper wrote in a 37-page opinion.“ The rapid pace of [DOGE’s] actions, in turn, requires the quick release of information about its structure and activities. That is especially so given the secrecy with which DOGE has operated.”

Cooper stopped short of ordering the documents be released prior to Congress' vote on a spending bill this week, but said Congress would need the information "in a timely fashion to use it effectively."

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