Trump’s DOJ has yet again been blocked from accessing sensitive voter information by the courts—this time, protecting Kentucky voters.
District Judge Claria Horn Boom, a federal judge appointed by Trump in his first term, ruled Thursday that the US Department of Justice doesn’t have a legal right to access Kentuckians’ private voter data, like Social Security numbers and driver’s license details.
The Trump administration has sued states across the country in hopes of accessing private voter data, arguing the Civil Rights Act gives them the right to access such information. Courts have repeatedly rejected those efforts, with Boom citing a recent appeals court ruling in a similar suit in Michigan to say the Civil Rights Act doesn’t work like that.
Officials had previously said Kentucky handed over voter information that is already somewhat publicly accessible like names, birthdays, and addresses—information political candidates can get, for example, to contact voters and send mailers—but had declined to share private data, sparking the lawsuit. Private voter data that has been obtained elsewhere by the DOJ has been shared with Homeland Security to find noncitizens.
Boom dismissed Kentucky’s case, but the DOJ may appeal the ruling.
Thursday’s decision is the latest in a series of blows against Trump’s efforts to access voter information and undermine voter and election safety in the country—efforts Kentucky leaders on both sides of the aisle have recently pushed back against.
“We have won our case in federal court on protecting voter privacy,” Michael Adams, Kentucky’s Republican Secretary of State, said on social media Thursday. “Kentucky’s elections are secure, and so is your personal information.”
A group of voters and voter advocacy groups that jumped into Kentucky’s suit said in a statement that, “The Department of Justice has no legal basis to demand highly sensitive personal information, no doubt to weaponize it against eligible voters and chill civic participation.
“In a moment where President Trump continues to weaponize the DOJ against the American people and attempts to sow doubt and chaos into our elections, we are proud to have represented Kentucky voters and civic organizations in challenging this federal overreach, and will continue to defend voter privacy and access to the ballot,” it continued.
Earlier this month ahead of Trump’s primetime speech to peddle more unfounded election conspiracy theories, Gov. Andy Beshear—a Democrat—defended Kentucky’s elections as secure and blasted how Trump’s repeated efforts to undermine confidence has “eroded trust” in them.
“It was a full and fair election,” Beshear said of the 2020 election. “That’s a fact, period. Right? There are facts in this world.”
