U.S. District Judge Victoria Marie Calvert has dismissed a Department of Justice lawsuit against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. The federal government sought unredacted voter rolls, including Social Security and driver's license numbers, to audit election compliance. Calvert ruled that federal laws do not override Georgia's voter privacy protections. This ruling marks the 26th consecutive court defeat for the Trump administration's nationwide voter roll campaign.
Dismissal of the Georgia lawsuit
- ▪U.S. District Judge Victoria Marie Calvert dismissed a Department of Justice lawsuit filed in January against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger seeking Georgia's unredacted statewide voter registration list on September 30, 2026
- ▪An earlier federal lawsuit by the Department of Justice seeking Georgia's voter information was dismissed without prejudice in January 2026 because it was filed in Macon instead of Atlanta
Judge Calvert's legal ruling
- ▪Judge Victoria Marie Calvert ruled that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his office complied with federal law by maintaining voter lists and sharing public files
- ▪Judge Victoria Marie Calvert ruled the National Voter Registration Act and Civil Rights Act do not override Georgia's voter privacy protections, finding no explicit manifestation of Congress's intent to preempt state voter privacy laws
Dispute over confidential voter data
- ▪The Department of Justice sought unredacted voter data, including full birthdates, driver's license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers, to identify duplicate registrations and ineligible voters
- ▪Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger argued that state privacy laws prohibit sharing confidential voter details like birthdates, Social Security numbers, and driver's license numbers
Department of Justice nationwide litigation
- ▪The Department of Justice has sued 30 states, including Georgia, in a nationwide campaign to obtain unredacted voter rolls to assess compliance with federal election rules
- ▪Georgia's lawsuit dismissal marks the 26th consecutive court defeat for the Department of Justice, which lost voter roll lawsuits in the District of Columbia and 24 states, including Arizona, California, Pennsylvania, and Virginia
- ▪Four Department of Justice lawsuits in the Trump administration's nationwide voter roll campaign seeking complete voter lists remain pending in Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, and Utah
Debatable claims
- ▪The DOJ lacks the legal authority to demand unredacted voter rolls from states
- ▪States bear the primary responsibility for securing voter registration data
- ▪Georgia's refusal to share unredacted voter rolls undermines national election security
- ▪The Department of Justice should halt its nationwide campaign to obtain unredacted voter rolls
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