Politics
Federal judge blocks Justice Department's voter roll audit program
October 9, 2026 at 09:28 PM
Coverage
3 reports · over 2 hours
AJAl Jazeera English
US judge rules Trump administration’s use of voter data unlawful
(opens the publisher’s site)
CNCNN
Justice Department ran ‘roughshod’ over civil rights with plans to audit state voter rolls, judge says
(opens the publisher’s site)
TGThe Guardian
Federal judge rules against Trump DoJ’s policy of collecting state voter rolls
(opens the publisher’s site)US District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan ruled Friday that the Justice Department's policy of collecting and auditing state voter rolls was unlawful, vacating the program.
- Sooknanan ruled the policy violated federal privacy laws and that Congress, not the federal government, holds authority over voter roll maintenance.
- She wrote the policy "flies in the face of duly enacted laws designed to protect Americans" and risks disenfranchising voters.
- At least 18 states had handed over unredacted registration records to the department, according to case filings.
- Common Cause President Virginia Kase Solomón said the administration should stop seizing voters' private data and taking control of elections.
- The Justice Department sought the records to cross-check against the SAVE immigration database to identify voters it deemed ineligible.
- The department had also sued 30 states and Washington, DC over their refusal to provide voter data.