Skip to content
Democracy SENTRY
Voting in your state
UpdateNationalFriday, October 9, 2026

Federal court rules DOJ voter data demands violate privacy and state authority

A court sided with voters and Common Cause in a suit against the Justice Department over consolidating voter data.

Reporting by
Protect Democracy
“Federal court rules DOJ data demands violate voter privacy & states’ election authority”, Friday, October 9, 2026
Read the full story
What happened

A federal court sided with Common Cause and voters in a lawsuit against the Department of Justice. The court ruled that the DOJ's campaign to consolidate sensitive voter data violates voter privacy. The court also ruled that the DOJ's campaign illegally intrudes on states' authority over elections.1

What it means

What this means for election authority

The ruling found that the DOJ effort violated states' authority over elections.1

More on this story
National · Oct 29
Federal courts blocked Trump administration attempts to change midterm rules
Reporting by Election Law Blog (Rick Hasen)
National · Oct 29
Trump administration asks appeals court to pause ruling on field operations
Reporting by Democracy Docket on Bluesky
The answers behind this
Who runs elections, and who can't interfereWho controls elections for Congress under the Constitution?Can a president use a national emergency to take over elections?

Explore this issue

OverviewUpdates In depthICE investigated hundreds of voter registration groups across the U.S. In depthSupreme Court allowed resumed use of expanded citizenship verification system In depthFederal judge dismissed challenge to Florida voter registration law In depthJudge blocks Trump effort to tie anti-terror funds to election rules In depthWisconsin Supreme Court will hear case on extended polling hours In depthState Department weighs sharing passport records for voter citizenship checks In depthWisconsin court blocked backup plan for late-arriving mail ballots In depthTexas judge allows Tarrant County to cut polling sites by nearly a third In depthCourt permanently blocked ban on voter registration at naturalization events In depthFederal court dismissed lawsuit challenging Florida voter verification law In depthCochise County supervisor says he will certify November election In depthJudge disqualified prosecutor in case over California voter list

Sources

  1. Protect Democracy, https://protectdemocracy.org/work/federal-court-rules-doj-data-demands-violate-voter-privacy-states-election-authority · Friday, October 9, 2026

Ask

Have a question about this?

Ask it here. If we do not have the answer yet, we will find it.