Federal judges reject DOJ voter Data lawsuits in 26 states

Federal judges have dismissed 26 lawsuits filed by the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division against states and the District of Columbia seeking unredacted voter rolls. The Justice Department initiated these suits in September 2025, citing a March 2025 executive order on election integrity to assert federal control over voter data and investigate alleged noncitizen voting.

In their rulings, judges found no legal or factual basis for the government’s demands, noting that federal election laws grant limited enforcement powers. Several opinions criticized the administration for using election statutes as a pretext to suppress voting, with one judge describing the government’s briefing as “halfhearted” and another calling the move a “fishing expedition” for immigration enforcement.

The Department of Justice also relied on Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960, which requires the preservation of election records. Judges rejected this argument, ruling that the provision applies to voter registration documents rather than state-generated voter rolls and that the administration failed to explain why it needed the records. The Trump administration has appealed most of these losses and is considering a Supreme Court challenge.

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