{"id":220657,"date":"2026-01-15T19:00:59","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T00:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/?post_type=press_release&p=220657"},"modified":"2026-01-15T19:00:59","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T00:00:59","slug":"federal-court-dismisses-doj-lawsuit-seeking-california-voter-data","status":"publish","type":"press_release","link":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/federal-court-dismisses-doj-lawsuit-seeking-california-voter-data","title":{"rendered":"Federal Court Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit Seeking California Voter Data"},"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-220657","press_release","type-press_release","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"subheading":"","date_and_time":"2026-01-15 19:00:15","featured_image":"","show_on_press_releases_landing_page":true,"components":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":{"text":"Santa Ana, CA \u2014 A federal judge dismissed <\/a>the U.S. Department of Justice\u2019s (DOJ) lawsuit against the State of California in United States v. Weber<\/i>, in which the DOJ sought to compel the state to turn over its full, unredacted statewide voter registration list\u2014including voters\u2019 sensitive personal data\u2014to the federal government. The lawsuit was part of a broader series of actions by the DOJ seeking similar information from jurisdictions across the country.\r\n\r\nThe dismissal comes after the League of Women Voters of California (\u201cLWVC\u201d), represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU Foundation of Northern California, and the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, intervened on behalf of voters to defend voter privacy and the integrity of the democratic process. The groups maintained that state law and federal privacy protections prohibit the disclosure of highly sensitive voter information.\r\n\r\nIn response to the ruling, the organizations released the following statement:\r\n\r\n\u201cThe court has recognized the fundamental importance of protecting voters\u2019 sensitive personal information and dismissed this illegal federal overreach. Voters should never have to choose between their privacy and their fundamental right to vote. States must retain authority to manage elections in ways that safeguard sensitive information, and federal agencies must respect the limits on their power. Today\u2019s ruling affirms that the federal government is not entitled to unfettered access to private voter data.\u201d\r\n\r\nIn September 2025, the DOJ sued California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, seeking to compel disclosure of the statewide voter file that includes registered voters\u2019 full names, residential addresses, dates of birth, driver\u2019s license numbers, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers. California declined to provide this data, citing state privacy laws and offering redacted versions instead. LWVC and the ACLU moved to intervene to defend voter privacy and challenge the DOJ\u2019s legal claims, which raised serious concerns about federal authority over state-managed election data and the potential misuse of sensitive information.\r\n\r\nA link to the ruling can be found here: https:\/\/assets.aclu.org\/live\/uploads\/2026\/01\/128-CA-MTD-Order.pdf<\/a>"}}],"drupal_node_id":"","email":"media@aclu.org","phone":"(212) 549-2666","address":{"address_1":"125 Broad Street","address_2":"18th Floor","city":"New York","state":"NY","zip_code":10004,"country":"United States"},"pgp_public_key":"","issues":[46799],"press_releases_related_to_cases":[216950],"spokesperson":"","related_affiliates":[325,367],"related_content_documents":"","related_content_publications":""},"yoast_head":"\nAmerican Civil Liberties Union<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Federal Court Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit Seeking California Voter Data | American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/federal-court-dismisses-doj-lawsuit-seeking-california-voter-data\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@aclu\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/federal-court-dismisses-doj-lawsuit-seeking-california-voter-data\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/federal-court-dismisses-doj-lawsuit-seeking-california-voter-data\",\"name\":\"Federal Court Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit Seeking California Voter Data | American Civil Liberties Union\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-16T00:00:59+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/federal-court-dismisses-doj-lawsuit-seeking-california-voter-data\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/\",\"name\":\"American Civil Liberties Union\",\"description\":\"The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union \u2014 beyond one person, party, or side. 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