Vetted by NeuralPress's Multi-Agent Verifier for strict factual validity and event relevance. Our compliance engine cross-checks and filters search results to ensure zero false correlations or misleading content.
Legal Status of DOJ Voter Data Requests
Comparison of outcomes for DOJ requests for state voter records.
Primary Sources
US judge blocks Justice Department bid to seize voter data in Rhode Island
Ruling is latest loss for Trump administration, which has sought access to state voter data ahead of the US midterms.A federal judge in the United States has dismissed a Department of Justice lawsuit seeking to access voter data from Rhode Island.The decision on Friday was the latest loss for the administration of President Donald Trump, which has sought to access voter data in dozens of states across the country.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Two dozen Democrat-led states sue Trump over mail-in ballot limitslist 2 of 3What is Trump-backed SAVE America Act and what could it mean for US vote?list 3 of 3US House votes down latest effort to curtail Trump’s power to wage Iran warend of listIn the ruling, US District Court Judge Mary McElroy sided with election officials and civil rights groups, writing that the Justice Department does not have the authority “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here”.Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore praised the ruling in a statement afterwards.“The executive branch seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states,” Amore wrote.“But the power of our democratic republic, built on three, coequal branches of government, is clearer than ever before.”The Justice Department has sued at least 30 states for their voter information, maintaining it needs the information to secure election security. State officials have said that turning over the data raises an array of privacy concerns.Under the US Constitution, state officials administer elections. Only Congress can pass laws related to how states oversee voting.But Trump has sought to transform election administration, claiming that voting has been marred by widespread fraud.In particular, Trump has continued to maintain that the 2020 election, in which he lost to former President Joe Biden, was “stolen”.No evidence has ever been put forward to support the claims.Federal judges have rejected attempts in California, Massachusetts, Michigan and Oregon to force the states to hand over voter files to the federal government. At least 12 states, however, have willingly provided or pledged to provide voter information to the Trump administration.The push for voter information is one of several actions that have raised concerns over how the Trump administration will approach the midterm elections in November, which will decide the makeup of the US C...
Federal judge blocks DOJ's voter data lawsuit in Rhode Island
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit demanding detailed voter data from Rhode Island, a decision that follows similar rulings in a handful of other states.U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy sided with Rhode Island’s top election officials and civil rights advocates, writing that federal law does not permit the U.S. Department of Justice “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here.”In an emailed response, the Justice Department said it would not comment on ongoing litigation.McElroy’s decision is similar to other rejections by federal judges across country since the Justice Department began seeking detailed voter data from the states. The information includes dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers. Federal officials say they need the voter data to ensure election security, but Democratic and some Republican officials have objected to the requests and said such a demand violates state and federal privacy laws. “The executive branch seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states,” Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore said in a statement. “But the power of our democratic republic, built on three, coequal branches of government, is clearer than ever before.” 1 MIN READ 5 MIN READ 2 MIN READ Some election officials have raised concerns that federal officials will use the sensitive data for other purposes, such as searching for potential noncitizens. Those concerns were raised again after the DOJ’s attorneys acknowledged in the Rhode Island case that the department was seeking unredacted voter roll information so it could be shared with the Department of Homeland Security to check citizenship status. At least 12 states have either provided or promised to provide their detailed voter registration lists to the department, according to the Brennan Center: Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming. Meanwhile, the DOJ has sued at least 30 states and the District of Columbia seeking to force release of the data. In addition to Rhode Island, judges have rejected those attempts in California, Massachusetts, Michigan and Oregon. In Georgia, a judge dismissed a DOJ lawsuit because it had been filed in the wrong city, prompting the government to refile els...
Federal Court Dismisses DOJ Voter Data Lawsuit in Rhode Island, Calling ...
In a 14-page order in the Rhode Island case, Judge McElroy found that the DOJ's demand letter failed to meet the requirements of Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960, and that the Trump Administration could not point to any evidence that Rhode Island was out of compliance with federal laws concerning voter list maintenance.
Judge Blocks DOJ's Attempt to Access Rhode Islanders' Data - ACLU
The Department of Justice (DOJ) sued the State of Rhode Island, seeking private, confidential voter data. DOJ's efforts appear to be part of an effort to build a national voter database without congressional authorization and to improperly question the validity of state voter rolls.
