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Must Georgia give the Justice Department voters' private ID data?

United States v. Raffensperger

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At a glance

The Justice Department sued Georgia's Secretary of State for voters' license and Social Security numbers, which state law keeps confidential. A judge dismissed the case; the United States appealed.

  1. What happened · 6 steps
    1. Justice Department demands the full voter listJul.–Dec. 2025

      It asked for every field, including birth dates and ID numbers; Georgia sent the list with confidential fields removed.

    2. United States sues Georgia's top election officialJan. 23, 2026

      It says the Civil Rights Act of 1960 requires Georgia to hand over the unredacted voter list.

    3. Voting groups join to defend the privacy lawJan.–Mar. 2026

      The court let Black Voters Matter Fund, Common Cause, the NAACP, and their partners join as defendants.

    4. Judge Ross steps asideJun. 15, 2026

      She granted the government's request that she recuse, and Judge Victoria Calvert later decided the case.

    5. Judge dismisses the caseSep. 30, 2026

      The court held federal law does not override Georgia's privacy law, so Georgia need not hand over the confidential fields.

    6. United States appealsOct. 30, 2026

      The government asked the Eleventh Circuit to review the dismissal and the denial of its motion to compel the records.

  2. Georgia need not hand over private voter data

    The case is dismissed, so Georgia keeps voters' ID numbers and birth dates confidential while the appeal goes forward.

  3. Still open

    Whether the Eleventh Circuit agrees is undecided, and the judge did not reach the Secretary's other defenses, such as whether the demand itself was sufficient.

Where it stands

Appeal of the dismissal

United States appeals to the Eleventh Circuit · Oct. 30, 2026

The dismissal stands while the United States appeals to the Eleventh Circuit. No appeals-court schedule appears on the docket yet.

Follow what's happening

  1. Lawsuit filed

    Jan. 23, 2026

    United States sues for Georgia's unredacted voter list

  2. Judge Ross recuses

    Jun. 15, 2026

    She granted the government's request; Judge Calvert decided the case

  3. Case dismissed

    Sep. 30, 2026

    Federal law does not override Georgia's voter privacy law

  4. Appeal of the dismissal

    Oct. 30, 2026

    United States appeals to the Eleventh Circuit

The parties

United States

Plaintiff

The federal government, through the Justice Department

Wants

Georgia's full voter list, with ID fields

Key arguments

  • The 1960 law reaches all records, private ones too

    Rejected; on appeal. Final ruling. The court read the law to cover public records, not confidential fields

  • Federal law overrides Georgia's privacy law

    Rejected; on appeal. Final ruling. The dispositive ruling; Georgia can obey both laws by sending a redacted list

  • ID numbers are needed to check voter-list upkeep

    Rejected; on appeal. Final ruling. The court found federal voter-list laws do not require sharing sensitive data

  • Ordinary court rules don't apply to this demand

    Rejected; on appeal. Final ruling. The court applied the ordinary rules and said the result would be the same either way

Represented by

U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division

Brad Raffensperger

Defendant and intervenors

Georgia's Secretary of State, joined by voting groups

Wants

Dismiss the demand for private voter data

Key arguments

  • Federal law doesn't override Georgia's privacy law

    Accepted; on appeal. Final ruling. The basis for dismissal; the United States has appealed

  • Georgia already sent the full public voter list

    Accepted; on appeal. Final ruling. The court found the Secretary largely complied, withholding only confidential fields

  • Ordinary court rules govern this case

    Accepted; on appeal. Final ruling

  • The demand itself was legally insufficient

    Not reached. The court decided on the privacy question and did not address this

Represented by

Clark Hill PLC, for Secretary Raffensperger

Supporting defendant and intervenors: Democratic National Committee and Former U.S. Justice Department employees

Content snapshot as of .