Judge dismisses DOJ lawsuit against Utah lieutenant governor demanding private voter information

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Sign on the side of a building reading "Department of Justice"
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(Utah News Dispatch)

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration against Utah’s top election official, Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson, that sought Utah voters’ sensitive private information.

The Trump administration first sued Utah in February 2026 to obtain sensitive voter information, the suit that the judge has now dismissed.

Henderson announced the ruling on social media, writing “0-27” with a heart emoji, referring to the number of times the U.S. Department of Justice has lost similar lawsuits.

Trump’s Department of Justice sues Utah to force it to hand over sensitive voter information

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Court gavel on a strike plate, with the Scales of Justice and books in the background
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U.S. District Court Judge David Barlow issued the order Friday, determining Henderson does not need to make voters’ private information available for the Department of Justice.

“We appreciate Judge Barlow’s ruling dismissing the Department of Justice’s lawsuit that sought to force us to disclose the private data of every Utah voter,” Henderson said in a prepared statement. “Our office will continue to uphold the rule of law and safeguard the fundamental right to free, fair, and secure elections for the people of Utah.”

Since the lawsuit against her was filed in February, Henderson has argued that neither state nor federal law entitles the Department of Justice to private voter information.

Voting rights groups asked a federal court in March 2026 to join the case and block the Justice Department from getting Utah's voter data.

Henderson has repeatedly pledged to protect the sensitive information, which includes voters’ full names, dates of birth, residential addresses, state driver’s license numbers and Social Security numbers.

Read the judge’s order below.