A federal lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Justice seeking sensitive voter information from Kentucky has been dismissed, marking the 17th consecutive court defeat for the federal government's push to compel states to surrender voter records.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom — herself appointed by President Donald Trump — tossed out the government's lawsuit against Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams and the Kentucky State Board of Elections. The case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning the DOJ cannot refile the claim.

As in parallel cases brought against other states, the Justice Department had demanded a sweeping trove of Kentucky voter data, including sensitive identifying details such as driver's license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.

Secretary Adams, a conservative Republican, is among the many state election officials who rejected the federal voter data requests. He has gained recognition for his efforts to expand voting access in Kentucky, initiatives that have drawn opposition from some elements within his own party.

Judge Boom's ruling relies substantially on a recent Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decision concerning Michigan's voter rolls. That decision held that a state's own self-generated voter list does not qualify as a record that "comes into" the possession of election officials under the 1960 Civil Rights Act provision the DOJ invoked as its legal basis. The provision was originally enacted as part of landmark civil-rights-era legislation aimed at protecting minority voting access, and courts have now repeatedly rejected its use as a tool for federal data collection from states' own voter systems.

The judge determined that the DOJ's demand letters to Kentucky were nearly identical to those sent to Michigan — and equally legally deficient. Federal law requires that any such records request specify both a legal basis and a purpose in writing. However, the three letters the government sent to Kentucky officials between July and August 2025 each failed to satisfy both requirements. One letter cited incorrect statutes entirely, while another stated a purpose without ever articulating the underlying legal basis.

Kentucky now joins a growing roster of states — including several controlled by Republicans — where federal courts have blocked the DOJ's effort to obtain sensitive voter data such as Social Security numbers and driver's license information. The unbroken string of 17 rulings against the DOJ, issued by judges across multiple federal jurisdictions, underscores the consistency with which courts have found the legal framework deficient regardless of the state or circuit involved. The original court opinion is available here.