A federal judge has thrown out a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit seeking to force New Mexico to hand over unredacted voter data, KOB 4 reports. State officials welcomed the ruling, saying the demand put voter privacy at risk. The ruling stops the federal government from obtaining sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers and birth dates.
In her decision, U.S. District Judge Judith C. Herrera wrote that the demand “fails because it altogether lacks an identifiable ‘basis.'” She noted that the Department of Justice showed no evidence that New Mexico broke federal voting laws such as the National Voter Registration Act or the Help America Vote Act, and it did not explain why it needed unredacted personal information to check for compliance.
Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who strongly opposed the lawsuit, said she was pleased with the decision. In a statement, she said federal and state guardrails on Social Security numbers and dates of birth exist to protect every voter’s identity, and that she would not risk sharing private data that could have severe consequences for voters.
New Mexico is now the 14th state to secure a dismissal in similar federal voter-data cases. The state Department of Justice worked with the Secretary of State’s Office to fight the lawsuit, and Attorney General Raúl Torrez said the ruling shows the federal demand had no legal basis. He said the state’s elections are conducted with integrity and that officials will keep working to protect voter privacy.
About This Story
Daily Reports is Brant.One’s news roundup. Each day we gather the New Mexico stories worth knowing from newsrooms across the state, sum them up and point you to the source. This one comes from KOB 4’s reporting, and their original story has the interviews and full details.
Editor’s note: Updated Oct. 31, 2026. This story is now part of Daily Reports, our New Mexico news roundup, and was revised to credit KOB 4’s original reporting. Learn how Daily Reports works in our editorial standards.
