Judicial Setback for the DOJ's Push for Voter Data in California

On November 4, 2025, citizens participated in voting at First United Methodist Church in Pasadena, California, against a backdrop of recent legal decisions.

A federal judge on Thursday delivered the Trump administration a legal blow, disrupting its uncommon attempts to unify voter data traditionally maintained by individual states.

Judge David O. Carter halted a legal proceeding intended to grant the Justice Department access to California's untouched voter files, which contain confidential information such as Social Security numbers and driver’s licenses. Meanwhile, in Oregon, a district judge indicated on Wednesday a similar decision was forthcoming.

The Justice Department has targeted 23 states, including Washington, D.C., all under Democratic leadership or uncarried by Trump in the 2020 election, with lawsuits for resisting demands for voter data.

The DOJ contends it requires unrestricted access to state voter records to verify if states adhere to federal regulations in maintaining these lists. Nevertheless, state representatives from both political parties stress that the federal government has historically been denied this level of access and worry about potential misuse of the data.

"This request by the government is unparalleled and unlawful," stated Judge Carter. He emphasized that the sensitive information could potentially discourage vulnerable populations, like minority groups and low-income immigrants, from registering or participating in elections due to fears about data usage.

Carter, appointed under President Bill Clinton, accused the Justice Department of conducting a "fishing expedition."

He further stated, "The federal authority cannot file a lawsuit seeking information without a concrete allegation and later craft accusations based on what they discover."

A response from the Department of Justice regarding Carter's decision had not been made available at the time of reporting.

The Constitution of the United States distinctly gives states the autonomy to manage elections with minimal interference from the federal executive. During Trump's first term, similar data requests were broadly denied by the states. A Republican in 2017 candidly suggested the administration to "jump in the Gulf of Mexico."

Nonetheless, the landscape has shifted.

Reports from the Brennan Center for Justice indicate that at least eight Republican-led states have willingly shared or are planning to share comprehensive voter registration data with the federal administration during Trump's subsequent term.

This data often undergoes scrutiny through systems managed by the Department of Homeland Security to identify non-citizens. Though this process, termed SAFE, involved processing millions of records, substantial proof of voter fraud as alleged by Trump has yet to be revealed.

Judge Carter's decision marks the initial verdict out of a series of nationwide lawsuits related to voter data. He predicts that his decision will be contested, potentially reaching the Supreme Court.