A federal judge in New Jersey delivered a setback to the Department of Justice on Wednesday, rejecting its bid to obtain unredacted voter rolls from the state. The ruling, handed down by U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi, a Biden appointee, marks the latest legal defeat for the Trump administration's push to scrutinize voter registration lists ahead of the midterm elections.
Judge Quraishi sided with New Jersey, citing significant privacy concerns for voters if personal information such as social security numbers and driver's license details were disclosed in full. In his 17-page opinion, he wrote that he “joins at least sixteen other district courts including a sister court — and one circuit — in dismissing Plaintiff’s claim,” underscoring a broad judicial consensus against the DOJ's aggressive approach.
The legal battle began in February when the Trump administration sued five states — Utah, Oklahoma, Kentucky, West Virginia, and New Jersey — demanding unfettered access to their voter rolls. New Jersey complied by turning over voting records but redacted sensitive identifiers like social security numbers and driver's license data, a move the DOJ argued was insufficient.
The federal government has insisted it is entitled to the unredacted records under Title III of the Civil Rights Act. But Judge Quraishi rejected that interpretation, ruling that Title III only applies to records that come into election officers' possession, not to the state's own computerized voter registration list. “The plain text of Title III applies only to records ‘which come into’ election officers’ ‘possession’ and thus does not extend to New Jersey’s computerized VRL — a document the State itself created,” he wrote.
The DOJ has vowed to appeal the decision, doubling down on its efforts to access voter data after accusing New Jersey of listing 35,152 noncitizens as eligible voters. That claim was made during a primetime national address earlier this month, fueling tensions between the administration and state officials. The controversy echoes broader debates over election integrity, with recent polls showing that voters increasingly want pragmatic solutions over ideological fights.
Last week, Democratic Governor Mikie Sherrill acknowledged that a website glitch had inadvertently registered 6,600 noncitizens as eligible voters, calling it an error through “no fault” of their own. She said her administration is working to correct the issue but remains steadfast in refusing to grant the federal government full access to the rolls. “The request had no legal basis, and I will always protect New Jerseyans’ personally identifiable information,” Sherrill wrote in a post on X on Monday.
The ruling adds to a string of judicial rejections of the DOJ's voter roll demands, with at least sixteen other district courts and one circuit court having sided against the government. Legal experts say the decision reinforces limits on federal power under Title III, even as the department pushes for broader oversight. The DOJ's appeal is expected to test those boundaries further, with implications for how states handle voter data privacy versus federal election integrity claims.
Meanwhile, the dispute highlights a growing partisan rift over voting access and security. While the Trump administration has made unsubstantiated allegations of widespread noncitizen voting, DHS has failed to back up those claims with data. New Jersey's refusal to comply has become a flashpoint, with the state insisting on protecting voter privacy while the DOJ argues transparency is needed for election confidence.
