How the Supreme Court Could Silence Black Voters

MILWAUKEE – Tonight the AP projected that Chris Taylor has been elected to serve as the next justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. ACLU of Wisconsin Executive Director Dr. Melinda Brennan released the following statement: “Wisconsinites once again went to the polls and delivered a clear message about their resounding support for protecting abortion access and defending voting rights in our state. “In the lead up to the election, the ACLU of Wisconsin, in collaboration with the National ACLU, worked hard to ensure voters understood each candidates’ record on key issues facing Wisconsin, educating them about the profound influence the Supreme Court has over our civil rights and civil liberties. We engaged well over 100,000 voters, reaching them over radio, on digital platforms, through the mail and in-person. “Tonight Wisconsinites proved that no matter what’s going on at the federal level, we can have the greatest impact in our own state and communities.”

On behalf of the League of Women Voters of Utah, the ACLU Voting Rights Project and the ACLU of Utah have filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit over the federal government’s demand for Utah’s voter registration file. The Department of Justice is demanding the entire state list, including voters’ sensitive personal data, such as drivers’ license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.

The United States has sued West Virginia, seeking access to the State's complete voter registration file, including fields that are not publicly available. The West Virginia Citizen Action Group (CAG), a non profit organization representing voters across the State, has moved to intervene. Represented by the ACLU, ACLU of West Virginia, the Campaign Legal Center, and the Brennan Center for Justice, CAG argues that its members' personal data and ability to participate in elections are directly at risk.

Boston, MA – A coalition of voting rights organizations filed a lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts challenging President Trump's March 31 executive order concerning mail-in voting. The Constitution explicitly states that only Congress and the states can set the rules for elections. Nevertheless, the order attempts to displace states’ mail-in voting laws by transforming the U.S. Postal Service from a neutral mail carrier to an arbiter of who may cast a ballot by mail. The order also requires the Department of Homeland Security to build and give to each state a list of citizens eligible to vote. Given that federal databases are out-of-date and unreliable, this risks mass disenfranchisement of eligible voters. The suit was filed by the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, the League of Women Voters, Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO), U.S. Vote Foundation, OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates (OCA), and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. They are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of Massachusetts, Brennan Center for Justice, Legal Defense Fund (LDF), Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), and LatinoJustice PRLDEF. The plaintiffs and their counsel released the following statement: "This executive order is an illegal and dangerous attempt by the Trump administration to eliminate accessible voting options and subvert our democracy by seizing control of election administration from the states and Congress. If implemented, it would disenfranchise eligible voters across the nation. “Attempts to end voting by mail are part of the Trump administration’s larger strategy to undermine elections and subvert the will of the people. The U.S. Constitution is clear: the states and Congress — not the president — set the rules for our elections. President Trump tried to make an end-run around the Constitution with another executive order last year and was promptly rebuffed by multiple courts. History will repeat itself. “This executive order would upend countless state laws and procedures regarding mail-in voting. It could deny eligible voters, including voters with disabilities, U.S. citizens living abroad, and military members and their family members, the right to vote by mail — and unknown numbers will be disenfranchised without that option. Far from improving elections, this executive order would create chaos for election officials, erode public confidence in our elections, and block Americans from exercising their most fundamental right and responsibility as citizens — voting. By taking the administration to court, we are standing up for the rule of law and the promise of our democracy.” A copy of the lawsuit can be found online here: https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/04/LWV-v-Trump.pdf