Federal Court Sides with Kentucky Officials in Voter Records Dispute

Published on July 23, 2026

Jefferson County Clerk David Yates welcomed a decision by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky dismissing the U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit against Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams and the State Board of Elections and granting all defendants' motions to dismiss.

In a ruling issued by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom, the court held that Kentucky is not required to provide the unredacted statewide voter registration list sought by the DOJ. The opinion applies the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision in United States v. Benson and concludes that the unredacted voter registration records are not subject to disclosure under Title III of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).

The DOJ had sought Kentucky's complete statewide voter registration database, including confidential voter information. Kentucky election officials maintained that federal law does not require the disclosure of sensitive personal data and that releasing such information would conflict with state and federal privacy protections.

"Kentucky voters have nothing to hide, and election officials fully complied with every legal obligation throughout this process. What we would not do is surrender confidential personal information that the law protects," said Yates. "This ruling confirms that transparency in elections can and must coexist with strong safeguards for voter privacy. Our responsibility is not only to maintain accurate voter rolls, but also to protect the millions of Kentuckians who entrust us with their personal information."

Yates intervened in the case, represented by Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell's Office, and filed motions challenging the DOJ's interpretation of federal law. Assistant Jefferson County Attorney Sarah Martin played a leading role in developing and presenting the legal arguments supporting the motion to dismiss.

“As we showed today, Donald Trump’s unlawful overreach will be met with resistance here in Jefferson County,” said Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell. “The Jefferson County Attorney’s Office and Clerk Yates will continue to fight for the integrity of our local elections and prevent the misuse of voter data by the Trump administration. Today’s ruling is a win for the people of Jefferson County. I’m proud of the work of Clerk Yates and my entire Civil Division team, led by Sarah Martin, on this issue.”

The lawsuit stemmed from the DOJ's demand for Kentucky's unredacted voter registration records, which contain sensitive information, including dates of birth, driver's license numbers, partial Social Security numbers, residential addresses, and other personally identifying information for millions of registered voters. Kentucky election officials had already provided redacted voter registration records but objected to the disclosure of confidential information protected by state and federal law.

"I was proud to be the first Clerk in the nation to intervene in the lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump and the DOJ in defense of the United States Constitution and our local laws," Yates added. "Jefferson County has always turned over our full voter files to our Kentucky Secretary of State, and we were proud to have stood with our Secretary of State in opposing President Trump's illegal attempt to exert national control of our local elections. Our founding fathers determined that level of power should never be given to any president. I’m glad that the United States District Court agreed with us and granted our motion to dismiss. We were right. We stood up. We fought back, and we won!"

Judge Boom's opinion relied on the Sixth Circuit's recent decision in United States v. Benson, finding that the disclosure requirements cited by the federal government do not extend to the sensitive voter registration information at issue in the case.

The United States has filed a notice of appeal with the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.