Judge Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit Seeking Nevada Voter Data

U.S. District Judge Anne Traum dismissed a lawsuit filed by the United States Department of Justice that sought to compel Nevada to release its unredacted statewide voter registration database. The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division initiated the suit in December 2025, alleging that Nevada violated the 1960 Civil Rights Act by withholding sensitive data, including driver's license information and Social Security numbers.

Judge Traum ruled that the federal government failed to provide a sufficient purpose to justify the production of the records and concluded that the law does not require such disclosures. Nevada is the 22nd jurisdiction to prevail in a similar federal effort to obtain voter files from more than 40 states.

Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar and Attorney General Aaron Ford described the decision as a victory for voter privacy. The Nevada Attorney General's Office expressed concern that the requested data could have been shared with the Department of Homeland Security for immigration enforcement purposes.