Henderson Wins as Federal Court Rejects DOJ Demand for Utah Voter Records
The ruling bars the Justice Department from accessing a database containing names, birthdays, and partial Social Security numbers of Utah voters.
By Layla Richardson ·
U.S. District Judge David Barlow dismissed a Department of Justice lawsuit on Friday, blocking the federal government from obtaining a complete database of Utah voters. The case was brought against Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, the state’s chief election official. The Justice Department sought names, dates of birth, residential addresses, and driver's license or Social Security number fragments for every registered voter in the state.
The dismissal marks more than 25 defeats for the Trump administration in voter-roll litigation. The department has pursued these cases since taking office to address alleged illegal voting. Despite these legal battles, the administration has not yet found evidence of widespread voter fraud. It maintains three active cases in Hawaii, Idaho, and Delaware, while appealing losses in California and Oregon.
Federal attorneys argued that the Civil Rights Act of 1960 requires state officials to allow federal inspection of voting records that come into their possession. The DOJ contended that the law serves as an enforcement tool for federal election laws. They argued that excluding the statewide voter-registration database from this requirement would undermine the statute’s purpose.
Judge Barlow rejected that interpretation. He cited a Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling which stated that an ordinary speaker would not say a person has come into possession of something they created and maintained. He noted that judges have no warrant to elevate vague invocations of statutory purpose over the specific words chosen by Congress.
A DOJ spokeswoman said the department would appeal the decision. She pointed out that the only appellate court to review similar issues split on largely partisan grounds. Five judges in the Sixth Circuit signed dissents denying en banc review in prior proceedings.
Henderson, a Republican, called the ruling a victory for privacy. She wrote on Threads that her office will continue to uphold the rule of law and safeguard the right to free, fair, and secure elections. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Barlow dismissed the complaint with prejudice. This procedural ruling prevents the Justice Department from simply refiling the same claim. The department retains the right to take the case to a higher court. Trump appointed Barlow to the federal bench in 2019. Before his nomination, he worked as a Republican congressional lawyer, a federal prosecutor, and a private attorney.
