Federal judges, appointed by both Democrats and Republicans, have ruled against the Justice Department (DOJ) in multiple cases regarding the acquisition of sensitive voter information. The DOJ has filed lawsuits against 30 U.S. states and Washington D.C. for not complying with requests for voter data, which the department claims is necessary to support President Trump's allegations of widespread voter fraud.
On August 5, 2026, U.S. District Judge Philip Brimmer dismissed the DOJ's case against Colorado's Democratic Secretary of State, stating that the DOJ's interpretation of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 did not grant it the authority to compel the release of voter lists. This ruling is part of a broader trend, with judges in 20 cases reportedly rebuking the DOJ's requests, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
Some judges have characterized the DOJ's requests as unprecedented or akin to a fishing expedition. In June, a U.S. appeals court also ruled against the DOJ, marking the administration's first appellate-level loss in this context.
While more than a dozen states have agreed to share some voter data, others have only provided publicly available information. The DOJ's attempts to obtain voter information are part of a larger effort by the administration to influence election processes, which has faced various legal challenges, including efforts to restrict mail-in voting and push for proof-of-citizenship voting legislation.
The administration's approach to obtaining voter information has not been entirely unsuccessful, as some data has been acquired through other means, such as investigations by ICE and the FBI.