Federal Judge Blocks U.S. Demand for California Voter Data

A federal judge has dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit seeking California’s voter roll data. This marks the first legal defeat for the Trump administration’s unprecedented national effort to gather state-held voter information. The administration created a commission to investigate alleged voter fraud. It then asked all 50 states to provide detailed voter data, including names, addresses, and voting histories. Most states refused or only partially complied. California was the most defiant, calling the request a threat to privacy and a politically motivated overreach. The Justice Department sued California in June to force compliance. The judge ruled the federal government has no legal authority to commandeer state data for this purpose. The ruling protects state control over voter registration systems. It is a significant obstacle for the presidential commission, which faces multiple other lawsuits.