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DOJ now 0-9 in voter roll cases after Trump-appointed judge tosses its Maryland demand
Democracy Docket • • nation
Key Points:
- A federal judge dismissed the DOJ's lawsuit seeking Maryland's unredacted statewide voter registration list, ruling that the Civil Rights Act does not require states to provide such data to the federal government.
- This decision marks the DOJ's ninth loss out of 31 lawsuits filed against states and Washington, D.C., in its effort to obtain voter data, with no federal court ruling in the DOJ's favor so far.
- Judge Stephanie Gallagher, a Trump appointee, criticized a DOJ legal memo that claimed the department could compel states to share voter data, stating the court would not interpret the law contrary to its text.
- The DOJ has sent letters to nearly all states demanding access to voter rolls, with at least 16 Republican-led states complying, while the department has refused to clarify how it intends to use the data.
- These legal actions are part of a broader effort by former President Trump and the DOJ to create a national voter registration list and influence state election administration.
