DOJ Sues 6 States Over Voter Info Requests

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On September 25, the department announced separate lawsuits against California, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, and Pennsylvania. Previous lawsuits had been filed against Maine and Oregon on September 16.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated, “Clean voter rolls are the foundation of free and fair elections. Every state has a responsibility to ensure that voter registration records are accurate, accessible, and secure. States that do not fulfill this obligation will face legal action from the Department of Justice.”

The civil lawsuits filed in federal district courts allege violations of federal civil rights laws and national voter registration laws. The department has requested copies of voter rolls with non-public information like partial Social Security numbers from dozens of states.

In response, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson issued a statement saying the department is attempting to obtain private, personal information for over 8 million state residents, including driver’s license numbers and Social Security numbers. She stated that they cannot have this information.

In a unique start to his ruling against President Donald Trump’s administration on September 30, U.S. District Court Judge William Young included a scanned handwritten note sent to his office. The note read: “Trump has pardons and tanks – what do you have?” At the top of Young’s opinion in AAUP v. Rubio, which ruled that Trump’s effort to deport foreign-born student protesters was unconstitutional.

October 8, 2025

The effort follows President Trump’s March executive order, which aimed to keep noncitizens off voter rolls and protect voters by ensuring accurate voter records.