Federal judge strikes down DOJ voter-roll matching policy as illegal

In a detailed ruling, Judge Sparkle Sooknanan ruled that the Justice Department’s policy of collecting full state voter rolls to cross-check against a federal immigration database was unlawful. The policy, adopted to comply with an executive order issued by Donald Trump, was found to breach privacy laws and to threaten the disenfranchisement of U.S. citizens. Sooknanan emphasized that Congress has given states the constitutional authority to manage voter registration, and the federal government cannot usurp that role.

While the judgment nullifies the specific DOJ practice, it allows the department to take lawful actions that support state efforts to keep voter rolls accurate. The judge’s earlier June decision limiting the administration’s data-gathering was also temporarily stayed by the Supreme Court. Further developments are expected.