Dagusen v. Aguilar (Amicus)

In 2024, the Republican National Committee, the Nevada Republican Party, Donald J. Trump for President 2024, and an individual voter filed a lawsuit against the Nevada Secretary of State, challenging how the state maintains its voter rolls. The lawsuit claims that Nevada is not doing enough to remove noncitizens from the voter rolls and is asking the court to force major changes to how the state verifies voter eligibility and maintains voter registration records.

We filed an amicus brief, in partnership with the Protect Democracy Project, raising concerns that the lawsuit seeks to rely on data that may not exist and verification methods that cannot reliably determine citizenship status. Our brief warns that replacing Nevada’s current system with untested and unreliable processes could result in eligible voters being wrongly flagged or removed from voter rolls.

In August 2025, the court dismissed some of the plaintiffs’ claims, including claims brought under Nevada election law and the Nevada Constitution. However, the court allowed the plaintiffs’ Equal Protection and Due Process claims to move forward.

As this case continues, the outcome could shape how Nevada maintains its voter rolls and administers elections ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

The ACLU of Nevada does not represent the parties in this case, and our involvement is limited to filing an amicus curiae brief, also known as a “friend of the court” brief, which allows us to share legal arguments, policy expertise, and broader civil liberties perspectives that may assist the court in making its decision. We file these briefs in cases that may have significant implications for constitutional rights and civil liberties, even when we are not directly representing the client or parties named in the lawsuit.