SALT LAKE CITY —A federal court last Friday dismissed the US Department of Justice's (DOJ) lawsuit against Utah after the state refused to turn over registered voters’ sensitive personal information.
The court's decision is the latest in a string of federal rulings rejecting the DOJ's attempts to compel states to disclose sensitive voter information. Courts across the country have repeatedly found that the administration's demands exceed its legal authority and threaten voter privacy.
The DOJ filed suit against Utah earlier this year after the state declined to produce unredacted voter registration records containing sensitive personal information. Utah maintained that the federal government's sweeping request had no legal basis and that the DOJ failed to provide sufficient legal authority substantiating its request.
The League of Women Voters of Utah—a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots group dedicated to ensuring access to the ballot—filed a motion to intervene, to advocate for the rights of its members and all Utah voters. The League is represented by the ACLU Voting Rights Project and the ACLU of Utah Foundation, Inc.
“This decision recognizes that protecting voters also means protecting their personal information. Demands for sensitive voter data must not override the fundamental privacy and security interests of voters, and is why the League intervened,” said Marcia Johnson, chief of activation and justice for the League of Women Voters. “Preserving public confidence in our elections requires ensuring that voters' personal information is not disclosed without clear legal authority and appropriate safeguards. We will continue defending both the freedom to vote and the privacy rights that help make that participation possible.”
“The League of Women Voters of Utah has been proud to support our lieutenant governor in her effort to keep voters' private records safe and secure. Today's decision affirms an important principle: voters should not have to choose between participating in our democracy and protecting their personal information,” said Katharine Biele, president of the League of Women Voters of Utah. “Utah voters entrusted the state with highly sensitive data so they could exercise their fundamental right to vote, not so it could be disclosed to the federal government without sufficient justification. Protecting voter privacy is essential to maintaining public trust in our elections, and the League of Women Voters of Utah will continue fighting to ensure every Utahn can register and vote with confidence.”
The League of Women Voters and ACLU have challenged the administration's efforts to obtain confidential voter data in courts across the country, representing states and supporting litigation to ensure voter privacy protections remain intact.
“The DOJ keeps throwing spaghetti at the wall, but none of its attacks are sticking,” said Will Hughes, staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project. “This is now the twenty-eighth ruling to reject its attempts to seize statewide voter files and the sensitive voter information they contain, and amid their newest interference efforts in California and Alaska, is an excellent sign that the courts aren’t buying what the DOJ is selling.”
“Today’s ruling affirms that the Trump Administration has no business meddling in Utah’s safe and secure elections. Over a dozen other federal courts have similarly dismissed baseless lawsuits against state governments. We are proud to join Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, the NAACP, and the League of Women Voters in this victory for Utah voters.” said Jason Groth, legal director at the ACLU of Utah.
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