A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from using a revamped immigration database to check the accuracy of state voter rolls, and another judge dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit seeking Maryland’s voter registration data — two rulings on June 22 that deal setbacks to efforts to build a national voter database.
U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan in Washington, D.C. ruled that the Department of Homeland Security’s overhauled SAVE system, designed to verify citizenship and immigration status, made voter verification less accurate and risked disenfranchising eligible voters. The 75-page decision sided with voting rights and privacy advocates who argued the system posed privacy risks.
Hours earlier, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher in Maryland dismissed the DOJ’s lawsuit seeking unredacted voter rolls containing voting histories, birth dates, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers. Gallagher wrote that the court will not interpret federal voting law “contrary to its text simply because an office of the party advancing that interpretation has adopted it.”
The Trump administration has sought voter data from dozens of states and Washington, D.C., arguing federal statutes compel states to turn over voter rolls. But judges in California, Michigan, Oregon, and Massachusetts have previously dismissed similar cases, finding no federal law authorizing the DOJ to compel states to provide the information.
Courts have questioned the administration’s intentions. An Oregon judge called the effort a “fishing expedition,” while a California judge wrote that “the taking of democracy does not occur in one fell swoop; it is chipped away piece-by piece until there is nothing left.” The Trump administration has stated in court proceedings that it plans to share voter lists with the Department of Homeland Security to aid immigration enforcement.
At least 16 states have voluntarily handed over their voter files to the Justice Department, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Maryland Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis had directly asked the DOJ whether it planned to use the lists for immigration enforcement, arguing that Maryland voters “have the right to know” what the agency planned to do with the information.
The June 22 decisions come as Trump’s Republicans prepare for the November midterm elections, in which they are working to maintain control of both houses of Congress. The administration has issued multiple executive orders on mail voting, identification requirements, and other aspects of elections, but courts have blocked some of those efforts as well.
Sources
- Maryland Daily Record — Judge blocks Trump’s use of revamped immigration database for voter checks (June 22, 2026)
- The Baltimore Banner — Judge rejects Trump administration effort to obtain Maryland voter rolls (June 22, 2026)
- Brennan Center for Justice — Federal Courts Reject Trump Administration’s Attempts to Obtain Private Voter Data (June 8, 2026)
- American Civil Liberties Union — Federal Court Rejects DOJ Attempt to Obtain Maryland’s Sensitive Voter Data (June 22, 2026)
