Judge Rejects Justice Department Bid for State Voter Data
A federal judge ruled that the Justice Department cannot obtain state voter rolls in its search for noncitizen voters. Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan found the department violated federal privacy laws by seeking full names, birth dates, addresses, and other personal data. The decision blocks dozens of DOJ lawsuits that sought to force states to hand over their registration lists.
Judge Sooknanan, a Biden appointee, issued the late-Friday decision. She found the department's request for full, unredacted voter registration lists breached multiple federal privacy statutes. DOJ had contacted 49 states and Washington, D.C., asking them to purge their lists within 45 days. At least 18 states complied and gave data to Homeland Security for citizenship verification.
The ruling shields both resisting states and those that cooperated from further data sharing. It also bars DOJ and DHS from cross-referencing already obtained rolls through federal databases. The government is expected to seek a stay and appeal. A September Supreme Court decision let states use a revised immigration database to remove noncitizens before the midterms, after Sooknanan had blocked it in June.
The ruling may ease privacy concerns for voters in states that resisted or complied, as their registration details could remain outside federal cross-referencing. It could also complicate federal efforts to identify ineligible voters, while leaving states' own list-maintenance powers intact. Election officials may face continued uncertainty if the government appeals, and the outcome could shape how much authority states retain over voter-roll oversight ahead of future elections.