A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration against Utah’s top election official, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, that sought sensitive private information belonging to Utah voters. U.S. District Court Judge David Barlow issued the order on Friday, determining that Henderson does not need to make voters’ private information available for the Department of Justice. This decision directly impacts the privacy of residents across Ogden, Weber County, and all of Northern Utah who are registered to vote, safeguarding their personal data from federal demands.
Lt. Gov. Henderson announced the ruling on social media, indicating the outcome was the 27th such loss for the U.S. Department of Justice in similar lawsuits. In a prepared statement following the dismissal, Henderson conveyed her office’s appreciation for the judge’s decision. She noted that the ruling dismissed a lawsuit which had tried to compel the disclosure of private data from every Utah voter. Henderson also affirmed her office's intent to uphold the rule of law and work to safeguard the fundamental right to free, fair, and secure elections for the people of Utah. This public commitment underscores the importance of protecting the integrity and privacy of the state’s electoral processes for local residents.
The lawsuit, originally filed in February by the Trump administration's Department of Justice, aimed to compel Utah to hand over specific categories of private voter data. Since its filing, Lt. Gov. Henderson has consistently maintained that neither state nor federal law provides the Department of Justice with an entitlement to this sensitive information. Her steadfast position has been to protect this data. She has repeatedly pledged this protection for the personal information.
The private information at the center of the lawsuit included voters’ full names, their dates of birth, residential addresses, state driver’s license numbers, and Social Security numbers. The dismissal ensures that these particular details of Utah’s registered voters remain protected under the state’s stewardship, preventing their disclosure to the federal government. This outcome means that the personal information of countless individuals who participate in local and state elections across the region will not be shared, aligning with Lt. Gov. Henderson’s repeated pledges to protect sensitive information.
