Federal Judge Rejects Trump Administration’s Attempt to Obtain Colorado Voters’ Sensitive Information

DENVER — A federal judge in the District of Colorado dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration today, August 4, 2026, that sought to compel Colorado’s Secretary of State to provide sensitive voter information to the Department of Justice (DOJ). This would have included full names, addresses, partial social security numbers, dates of birth, and more. This decision joins 19 other federal court rulings denying the Trump administration access to voters’ private sensitive data on the state voter rolls.

Common Cause and three Colorado voters, represented by the ACLU Voting Rights Project and ACLU of Colorado, filed a motion in December 2025 to protect the privacy of state voters. These three Colorado voters included a naturalized citizen from Cote d'Ivoire; Dr. Anne Keke, who serves on the Aurora School Board; and Colorado Common Cause Advisory Board Chair Kyle Giddings, who previously served a felony sentence and had his right to vote restored in 2019. These voters sought to challenge DOJ’s unusual request because their backgrounds placed them at heightened risk of being targeted by the Trump administration — a threat that extended to other similarly situated Colorado voters.

“Today’s ruling is a massive victory for voter privacy and a testament to the power of organized advocacy in the face of federal overreach,” said Aly Belknap, Common Cause’s Colorado Executive Director. “By standing our ground, we’ve ensured that voters are protected from an unauthorized national database that would have been a goldmine for hackers and a tool for intimidation. Our elections remain safe, secure, and in the hands of Coloradans where they belong.”

“This lawsuit — and every other similar suit the DOJ has filed — was always about abusing federal power to seize sensitive voter information without legal authority,” said Theresa J. Lee, senior staff attorney with the ACLU's Voting Rights Act. “This dismissal sends a clear message: no administration is above the rule of law. The courts did exactly what they're supposed to do by stopping this unlawful power grab and protecting the privacy of Colorado voters.”

“The Colorado courts have rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to obtain sensitive voter data as part of their scheme to intimidate voters and suppress the vote,” said Tim Macdonald, ACLU of Colorado legal director. “Voters’ private data cannot — and will not — become a pawn in the federal government’s bogus voter suppression efforts.”