A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice seeking a full, unredacted copy of D.C.’s voter registration data, marking another defeat for the Trump administration in its aggressive attempts to scour states’ voter rolls over claims of fraud and undocumented immigrants casting ballots.
In a 23-page ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Randolph D. Moss rejected the department’s attempt to use a 1960s-era civil rights law as part of what he called an “unprecedented effort to collect sensitive information about voters.”
The legal fight started more than a year ago, when the Department of Justice requested a full copy of D.C.’s voter registration list, including voters’ full names, dates of birth, addresses and either driver’s license numbers or the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.
The department said the request — which was made in virtually every state — was part of a broader effort to ensure that states were properly maintaining their voter rolls and removing ineligible voters.
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But critics, including the left-leaning Brennan Center for Justice, called the push an “unprecedented and clear encroachment on states’ power to run elections” and “part of the administration’s concerted campaign to interfere with future elections.”
D.C. election officials turned over only a limited voter list, arguing that privacy laws precluded them from producing personally identifiable information like driver’s license or Social Security numbers.
In December 2025, the DOJ sued D.C. for its refusal to give up the information the department was seeking; similar lawsuits were filed against 30 states. Thus far, 21 judges have ruled against the requests.
“Having never won a case so far, with rebukes from judges all over, it’s time for the Department of Justice to drop its attempts to grab voters’ sensitive non-public data as part of a larger unlawful scheme to take over election administration, which our Constitution and federal laws wisely entrust to the states,” said Maryam Jazini Dorcheh, the vice president of litigation for watchdog group Common Cause.
The District’s election system and laws have come under repeated attack from Republicans in recent years, with some criticizing the city for allowing same-day voter registration, sending every voter a ballot in the mail, counting late-arriving mail ballots, implementing ranked-choice voting and permitting noncitizens to vote in local elections.
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