Federal Judge Shields Delaware Voters' Private Data

State of DE - A federal judge has turned away the federal government's push to get the private information of Delaware voters.

The ruling came down on November 10, 2026. Judge Richard G. Andrews of the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware dismissed the federal government's attempt to get Delaware voters' unredacted personal data.

Unredacted means nothing would be blacked out or hidden. The data the federal government asked for included birthdates, driver's license numbers and Social Security numbers.

So how did this case get started? It goes back to September 2025, when the Trump Administration sent demands to nearly every state in the country. Each state was told to turn over sensitive private data on the people listed on its voter rolls.

Delaware said no. According to the Attorney General's office, the state saw the demand as illegal and refused to go along with it. The Trump Administration then sued to get the records.

The case came down to the Civil Rights Act. Judge Andrews found that voter rolls are not a record that comes into the possession of the election commissioner. Because of that, he ruled they fall outside the records that can be demanded under that law.

Andrews isn't the first judge to see it that way. His ruling lines up with decisions from 20 other districts, along with the Sixth Circuit.

Jennings spoke about the decision after it was handed down. "Time and time again, we've defeated the Trump Administration's illegal attempts at federal overreach in our elections," said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. "This case was no different. To those in this Administration who still fail to understand: the states, not the president, run elections. It's our job to keep voters' data safe and we're not backing down. I am grateful to the court for this ruling."

With the case dismissed, Delaware will not have to hand over the unredacted voter data the federal government was after.

Source: Civil Action No. 25-1453-RGA