The case raises fundamental questions about the power and transparency of an entity that has slashed agency budgets and government employees with unusual speed and that has inspired a wave of federal lawsuits against the Trump administration.

Government lawyers asked the justices to block a lower court order that Elon Musk’s team and the Office of Management and Budget turn over internal documents.

The Trump administration has asked the US Supreme Court to halt a judge’s order that would force it to answer questions from a watchdog group and turn over documents about Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency in a fight over public access to the office’s records.