The Justice Department just lost its 18th straight fight to get state voter lists. U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi dismissed the lawsuit and denied the government's request for private data. Federal access to driver's license numbers and the final four digits of Social Security numbers is blocked by this ruling. The judge made this call without even holding a formal hearing. It is a massive blow to their nationwide push.
Judge Quraishi wrote that his decision lines up with at least sixteen other courts. He remarked that this Court aligns with at least sixteen other district courts, a sister court, and one circuit to dismiss the Plaintiff's claim. The department promised to appeal right away. But for now, the state holds the keys. The government cannot force New Jersey to hand over its live database.
Here is the part that makes you want to scream. Gov. Mikie Sherrill admitted a software glitch added about 6,600 noncitizens to the rolls. Sherrill indicated that applicants were impacted by the error from June 2023 through June 2024. About 400 of those people actually voted in later elections. An outside law firm is now looking into how this happened.
Even with that mess, the judge said the error had "no bearing" on the request for data. New Jersey officials turned over a redacted list last year, but the DOJ wanted the full names and addresses. Gov. Sherrill rejected the demand, saying privacy laws block the release. Writing on X, she declared the request lacked legal basis and promised to always safeguard New Jerseyans' personally identifiable information. The state refuses to give up the names.
Harmeet K. Dhillon is furious at the DOJ . She argued that the governor's "refusal to cooperate with federal law enforcement does nothing to protect law-abiding NJ voters". She further asserted that NJ bears a legal obligation to remove ineligible voters from its rolls, and our demand rests on this legal authority. DOJ will obtain this information using all legal means. Attorney General Jennifer Davenport called the court decision a win for the law. She expressed gratitude for the district court's decision, which properly determined that DOJ's demand for voters' personal information had no support in federal law.
This lawsuit represents only one among more than two dozen cases the White House filed nationwide. They want to see the full list to check for illegal voters. But the judge ruled that the state's own computerized list is what matters. He noted that the document "New Jersey's computerized [voter registration list] — a document the State itself created" creates a conflict if they demand more. The state argues that federal law does not support the demand for private info.
