Minnesota Officials Defeat Suit Over Disclosure of Drivers’ Data

A government watchdog group can’t sue Minnesota’s secretary of state over the disclosure of motor vehicle department records allegedly violating the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act, a federal appeals court ruled.

The DPPA gives the US Attorney General authority to enforce the act against state motor-vehicle departments but doesn’t allow for suits against states or state officials in their official capacity, the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit said Tuesday.

The lower court correctly found that the Association for Government Accountability failed to state a DPPA claim against Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon in his official capacity, Judge ...