United States Of America v. Wisconsin Elections Commission

On January 8, 2026, Law Forward filed a motion to intervene in the Trump administration’s lawsuit against the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) over its refusal to hand over confidential information about registered state voters

The U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) seeks to force WEC to turn over voters’ sensitive personal information, including drivers licenses and partial Social Security numbers. Law Forward, the ACLU of Wisconsin and ACLU national Voting Rights Project are representing Common Cause Wisconsin and individual voters potentially impacted by the case.

USDOJ’s request for this data is reportedly in connection with never-before-seen efforts by the Trump administration to construct a national voter database that could be used to disenfranchise eligible voters across the country.

WEC is acting within its authority to withhold this information, which is protected under state law. The data being sought is also protected by federal law that prohibits the creation of a national voter database. The federal government’s demand for sensitive voter data jeopardizes the right to vote, but also the right to privacy protected by state and federal law.