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Judge Rejects US Justice Department Effort to Obtain Rhode Island's Voter Data
The judge said the Justice Department lacked a legally sufficient basis and denied its bid to compel production, handing Rhode Island a fifth court win.
- On Friday, U.S. District Judge Mary S. McElroy dismissed a Department of Justice lawsuit seeking Rhode Island's unredacted voter registration rolls, marking the agency's fifth defeat in such cases.
- The DOJ filed suit to compel states to release sensitive data, including Social Security numbers, claiming the action ensures compliance with the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act.
- Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore and Attorney General Peter Neronha argued the demand was a "fishing expedition," asserting that voter list maintenance is a core state responsibility.
- During proceedings, the DOJ acknowledged plans to share sensitive records with the Department of Homeland Security to check for noncitizen registration, a disclosure that prompted privacy objections from state officials.
- While 17 Republican-led states complied with demands, the DOJ's record now stands at zero wins and five losses, with 25 lawsuits still pending as the administration pursues its immigration enforcement crackdown.
40 Articles
40 Articles
US federal court dismisses suit seeking personal information about Rhode Island voters
Judge Mary McElroy of the US District Court of Rhode Island on Friday dismissed a suit from the Department of Justice (DOJ) seeking detailed voter information from Rhode Island’s Department of State. She called the suit, which demanded unredacted voter registration information including Social Security Numbers and driver’s license numbers, “a fishing expedition.” The DOJ demanded the information from Rhode Island on September 8, 2025. Secretar…
Judge Blocks DOJ From Voter Rolls in Rhode Island, Citing Similar Rulings in 4 Other States
A Rhode Island judge on April 17 delivered another blow to the Trump Administration’s quest for voter-registration rolls nationwide. U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy denied what she called “unprecedented demands for unredacted voting rolls” from the state of Rhode Island. In a ruling that echoed similar decisions from judges in several other states, McElroy said Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers provided neither a legal nor a factual basis for…
Judge rejects DOJ push for Rhode Island voter information
A federal judge on Friday tossed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit aiming to force Rhode Island to hand over its voter information as part of the Trump administration’s push to acquire voter data from several states. Rhode Island U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy wrote that federal law does not allow the DOJ “to…
Judge rejects Justice Department effort to obtain Rhode Island’s voter data
A federal judge on Friday rejected the U.S. Department of Justice’s bid to force Rhode Island to turn over non-public data on nearly 750,000 registered voters so the Trump administration could probe “election integrity” in the Democratic-led state. The post Judge rejects Justice Department effort to obtain Rhode Island’s voter data appeared first on Hawaii Tribune-Herald.
Federal judge rejects DOJ lawsuit against Rhode Island over voter rolls, ruling could impact Pa. case
Rhode Island U.S. District Judge Mary S. McElroy, a Trump appointee, tossed the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit to obtain Rhode Islanders’ sensitive voter data on Friday, April 17, 2026. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)Rhode Island is now the fifth state to reel in what a federal judge in Providence on Friday morning called a “fishing expedition” by President Donald Trump’s administration to obtain sensitive voter data. In h…
Federal judge dismisses DOJ lawsuit seeking personal details about Rhode Island voters
U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy sided with Rhode Island's top election officials and civil rights advocates, writing that federal law does not permit the U.S. Department of Justice “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here.”
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