Trump’s DOJ loses twice as judges reject voter rolls

DOJ voter – Two federal judges dismissed separate lawsuits by President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice seeking expanded voter registration data, dealing another blow to the administration’s push for more detailed “voter files” from states. In Wisconsin, a judge rule

For the second straight round, federal courts refused to open states’ voter rolls to President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice—sidelining lawsuits aimed at obtaining increasingly detailed election records.

In Wisconsin, U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson dismissed the DOJ’s case after concluding the state’s voter registration list is not a record that can be requested under the federal law provisions the DOJ invoked. In Maine, Chief U.S. District Judge Lance Walker granted the state’s motion to dismiss the government’s claim. calling the DOJ’s effort “half-hearted.”.

The rulings land as the administration presses ahead with what has become a yearslong legal campaign to compel states to hand over expanded voter data. including dates of birth. residential addresses. driver’s license numbers. and partial Social Security numbers. The administration has framed the requests as necessary to ensure states are following federal election-law requirements. Courts. however. have repeatedly questioned the scope of federal power and the privacy limits that come with sensitive voter information—especially with the 2026 midterm elections approaching.

The Wisconsin decision

Judge Peterson’s May 21 opinion and order turned on the specific legal hook the DOJ used. The DOJ had requested Wisconsin voter rolls citing Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960. which allows federal authorities to inspect certain election records in investigations into potential discrimination.

But in his ruling, Peterson wrote that the court agreed “a voter registration list is not a record subject to production under Title III,” and dismissed the complaint on that ground without weighing the DOJ’s other arguments.

The lawsuit sought Wisconsin’s full statewide voter registration database, including highly sensitive personal identifiers that state officials refused to provide, citing privacy protections.

Bianca Shaw. state director of Common Cause Wisconsin. said the ruling was “a massive victory for voter privacy and a rejection of federal overreach.” She added that the decision protects voters from “an unauthorized national database that would have been a goldmine for hackers and a tool for intimidation. ” and said “Our elections remain safe. secure. and in the hands of Wisconsinites where they belong. ”.

The Maine decision

In Maine, the legal fight had started with a prior refusal. Maine officials had rejected a DOJ request for voter roll data in August 2025, and the department filed suit the following month.

According to the decision. the DOJ sought access to Maine’s voter registration data as part of its broader push to obtain detailed voter records nationwide. Maine officials argued that releasing certain information would violate privacy protections under state law and exceed what federal statutes require.

Chief Judge Lance Walker’s ruling leaned into the constitutional structure of election administration. He wrote. “Under our Constitution. states are the primary regulators and administrators of elections for federal office. unless Congress passes legislation that preempts that framework. And Congress’s power to do even that is itself subject to limitations.”.

In granting Maine’s motion to dismiss, Walker called the government’s claim “half-hearted.”

Shenna Bellows, Maine’s Secretary of State and a Democrat running for governor, responded with a blunt warning. In a statement, she said, “Let me be clear—Trump and the DOJ may continue to try to interfere with free and fair elections run by the states. We will not let them.”

A wider pattern courts have already signaled

Wisconsin and Maine are only the latest stops in a broader series of setbacks for the DOJ’s voter-file campaign. The administration has filed lawsuits against more than 30 states and the District of Columbia to compel release of expanded voter data.

A federal judge in April dismissed another DOJ lawsuit seeking access to Arizona’s detailed voter registration records. U.S. District Judge Susan Brnovich. a Trump appointee. ruled that Arizona’s statewide voter registration list is “not a document subject to request by the Attorney General” under federal law.

Courts have also rejected or narrowed similar DOJ lawsuits in Rhode Island, California, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Oregon. In Georgia. a federal judge dismissed the federal government’s case on procedural grounds after it was filed in the wrong city. prompting the DOJ to refile the lawsuit elsewhere.

Why the administration wants voter files

The administration’s position is consistent across its cases: it says it needs voter registration information to verify that states comply with federal election laws, including provisions requiring maintenance of accurate voter rolls and removal of ineligible voters.

In support of its requests, DOJ complaints have cited federal authority including the National Voter Registration Act and Civil Rights-era recordkeeping rules.

Opponents have pushed back that the requests violate state and federal privacy protections and expose sensitive personal information without clear statutory authority.

Despite the repeated losses in court, there has been movement elsewhere. At least 13 states have either provided or pledged to provide detailed voter registration data to the Justice Department: Alaska. Arkansas. Indiana. Louisiana. Mississippi. Nebraska. Ohio. Oklahoma. South Carolina. South Dakota. Tennessee. Texas. and Wyoming.

Trump DOJ voter rolls voter privacy Maine Wisconsin James D. Peterson Lance Walker Shenna Bellows Bianca Shaw Civil Rights Act of 1960 National Voter Registration Act 2026 midterm elections