Trump DOJ loses 12th consecutive lawsuit seeking state voter registration data
"Trump has sued 12 different states to steal their voter data and lost in literally all of them. The latest loss comes in New York, where Trump had attempted to gain access to the state's unredacted statewide voter registration list. And what's worse? Each loss makes it more difficult for Trump to win the subsequent case, because now judges are beginning to cite losses in previous cases as part of their justification to deal Trump losses in these cases."
About this episode
Host Brian Tyler Cohen reports on a significant legal setback for the Trump administration's Department of Justice, which has now lost 12 consecutive lawsuits attempting to seize sensitive voter registration data from state governments. The latest defeat came in New York, where a federal judge denied the DOJ's attempt to access the state's unredacted voter registration list. Cohen features commentary from election attorney Marc Elias, whose law firm has successfully defended all 12 cases thus far. According to Democracy Docket, the DOJ faces 31 total voter roll lawsuits against states and Washington DC, meaning 19 cases remain pending. Notably, judges across the ideological spectrum—including numerous Trump appointees from his first term—have unanimously ruled against the administration's legal theories. Each successive loss is creating atmospheric precedent that makes subsequent cases more difficult for the DOJ to win, as judges begin citing previous rulings in their decisions. The New York judge specifically noted that the court joins every district court to have addressed the issue in concluding that voter registration lists are not records states must produce to the federal government. Cohen uses the episode to promote his new book, The Day After, announcing that proceeds from preorders will be donated to Elias' Free Election Fund, which finances pro-democracy election litigation. The episode emphasizes the ongoing legal battle over voter data access and the consistent judicial rejection of federal overreach into state election administration.
Key takeaways
- Trump's DOJ has lost all 12 lawsuits attempting to obtain state voter registration data, with Marc Elias' firm winning every case.
- The latest defeat occurred in New York, where a federal judge denied access to the state's unredacted voter registration list.
- Judges across the ideological spectrum, including multiple Trump appointees, have unanimously ruled against the DOJ's legal theories.
- Each loss creates atmospheric precedent making subsequent cases more difficult, as judges cite previous rulings in their decisions.
- 19 additional voter roll lawsuits remain pending out of 31 total cases filed by the DOJ against states and Washington DC.
- Brian Tyler Cohen is donating preorder proceeds from his book The Day After to the Free Election Fund supporting voting rights litigation.
- Courts have consistently ruled that states are not required to produce voter registration lists as records to the federal government.