Federal judges in Maine and Wisconsin on Thursday dismissed lawsuits filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) seeking to compel the states to hand over detailed voter registration information. The rulings mark the latest defeats for the Trump administration in its efforts to obtain voter rolls from multiple states.
In Wisconsin, U.S. District Judge James Peterson ruled that the state’s voter registration list is not a record that can be requested under the Civil Rights Act of 1960, as the DOJ had argued. In Maine, Chief U.S. District Judge Lance Walker described the government's claim as “half-hearted” and granted a state motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
The DOJ has sued at least 30 states and the District of Columbia to force the release of voter data, including dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers. Judges in Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, and Rhode Island have also rejected similar attempts. In Georgia, a judge dismissed a DOJ lawsuit because it was filed in the wrong city, prompting the government to refile elsewhere.
Bianca Shaw, state director of Common Cause Wisconsin, called the ruling “a massive victory for voter privacy and a rejection of federal overreach.” She stated that the decision protects voters from an unauthorized national database that could be exploited by hackers or used for intimidation. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat and Trump opponent running for governor, said the ruling affirms that states, not the federal government, are in charge of elections and voting.
The DOJ has sought voter data since last year in Maine and other states. The Trump administration has argued that the information is necessary to ensure the accuracy of voter rolls, but critics contend the effort is an attempt to suppress voter participation or compromise privacy.