Story perspectives

Judge Dismisses DOJ Voter List Lawsuit, Safeguarding Data

5/22/2026

Summary

Story summary

A judge in Madison dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit for Wisconsin’s unredacted voter list, ruling Title III of the 1960 Civil Rights Act does not apply.
The department asked the Wisconsin Elections Commission in December 2025 for a file with drivers’ license numbers and the last four Social Security digits.
Attorney General Josh Kaul said the ruling protects voters’ data, maintains election confidence, and could eventually reach the United States Supreme Court.

History

Historical Context

Congress enacted the Privacy Act of 1974—dubbed an “American Bill of Rights on data”—after Watergate and COINTELPRO raised alarm over federal record-keeping. By 1980 the law shielded roughly 1.5 million citizen files. In 2024 a Wisconsin judge ruled that Title III of the 1960 Civil Rights Act, not the Privacy Act, bars the DOJ’s request for voter-list data, a decision praised by Attorney General Josh Kaul.

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Story summary

A judge in Madison dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit for Wisconsin’s unredacted voter list, ruling Title III of the 1960 Civil Rights Act does not apply.
The department asked the Wisconsin Elections Commission in December 2025 for a file with drivers’ license numbers and the last four Social Security digits.
Attorney General Josh Kaul said the ruling protects voters’ data, maintains election confidence, and could eventually reach the United States Supreme Court.

1 / 2