Federal Judge Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit Seeking Minnesota’s Voter Rolls
The ruling marked the Justice Department’s 23rd loss in voter-roll cases against states, according to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office.
- On Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, District Judge Katherine Menendez dismissed a 2025 DOJ lawsuit seeking Minnesota's complete voter registration list, ruling the government lacked legal basis under federal law.
- The Trump administration filed the lawsuit in September 2025, demanding Minnesota hand over its full voter registration list to investigate whether the state maintained "clean" voter rolls under the Civil Rights Act of 1960.
- Judge Menendez ruled that federal officials cannot seek discovery before alleging specific violations, calling the effort a "fishing expedition" that ordinary litigants are not permitted to pursue.
- This dismissal marks the 23rd loss for the DOJ in similar voter roll suits, with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison stating the ruling protects sensitive voter information.
- Courts in 21 other states plus the District of Columbia have rejected identical demands, including Michigan, Arizona, and California, establishing a nationwide precedent against federal voter roll collection.
27 Articles
27 Articles
DOJ Now 0-23 In Crusade For State Voter Rolls
Democracy Docket reports: Like 22 of her peers before her, a federal judge in Minnesota rejected the Trump administration’s crusade for unredacted state voter rolls. In a decision Monday, U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez dismissed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit to compel production of the sensitive voter data, like Social Security numbers and dates of birth. That gave the DOJ its 23rd trial court loss out of the 31 lawsuits the …
Hanford Sentinel
Federal judge rejects Trump administration demand for Minnesota voter data
MINNEAPOLIS — A judge on Monday rejected the Justice Department’s demand for Minnesota’s unredacted voter registration list, marking another unsuccessful attempt by the Trump administration to obtain state election data. U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez dismissed the Department of Justice’s…
Judge hands Trump 23rd straight loss as she rips apart 'fishing expedition'
President Donald Trump has so far lost every single case he has brought to court in his efforts to seize states’ voter rolls, and yet despite this losing streak, he keeps trying. Now one judge — who rejected his 23rd effort — is calling out his efforts as being a “fishing expedition.”“Like 22 of her peers before her, a federal judge in Minnesota rejected the Trump administration’s crusade for unredacted state voter rolls,” wrote Democracy Docket…
Federal judge tosses out DOJ lawsuit seeking Minnesota voter data
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit seeking Minnesota voter rolls. The Department of Justice is now 0-23 in its effort to obtain voter information maintained by the states. The U.S. Department of Justice sued Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon in September over his refusal to hand over Minnesota’s voter registration […]
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