The Justice Department filed lawsuits Tuesday against six blue states: Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, accusing them of violating federal law by refusing to provide statewide voter registration rolls upon request.
The complaints, filed by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, argue the states failed to meet their legal obligations under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and the Civil Rights Act of 1960, three federal statutes that require states to maintain accurate voter rolls and make those records available for inspection.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said state refusals to disclose the lists undermine the transparency and accountability those laws were designed to guarantee.
„Accurate voter rolls are the cornerstone of fair and free elections, and too many states have fallen into a pattern of noncompliance with basic voter roll maintenance,“ Bondi said in a statement announcing the lawsuits. „The Department of Justice will continue filing proactive election integrity litigation until states comply with basic election safeguards.“
According to the DOJ, the agency formally requested each state’s current, statewide voter registration roll and did not receive the required records. In each lawsuit, the department argues that Congress gave the attorney general clear authority to demand the production, inspection, and analysis of voter registration data to ensure compliance with federal law.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the Civil Rights Division, said the department is escalating enforcement efforts ahead of the 2026 election cycle.
„Our federal elections laws ensure every American citizen may vote freely and fairly,“ Dhillon said. „States that continue to defy federal voting laws interfere with our mission of ensuring that Americans have accurate voter lists as they go to the polls, that every vote counts equally, and that all voters have confidence in election results. At this Department of Justice, we will not stand for this open defiance of federal civil rights laws.“
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The DOJ says the lawsuits are part of a broader effort to enforce voter-registration transparency requirements that Congress put in place to ensure public confidence in election administration. NVRA requires states to maintain accurate voter lists and produce them upon request; HAVA mandates states modernize and safeguard voter registration systems; and the Civil Rights Act of 1960 authorizes the government to inspect and copy certain election records, including voter rolls.
Fox News Digital has reached out to elections officials in all six states for comment.
Federal officials have increasingly pressed states on voter roll compliance issues in recent years, arguing that transparency around registration lists is essential to maintaining accurate records, preventing administrative errors and ensuring voters have confidence in election outcomes. The DOJ says the six states named in these new suits have repeatedly failed to meet the department’s requests.
The cases will now move forward in federal court, where judges could order the states to turn over the voter lists, impose compliance deadlines, or issue injunctions requiring adherence to federal law.
Election law disputes over voter roll access and maintenance have escalated nationwide as states prepare for the 2026 midterms and the DOJ’s latest actions show an aggressive legal posture toward states that fail to meet federal disclosure rules.
The department says it will „continue filing proactive election integrity litigation until states comply,“ and has left open the possibility of additional lawsuits.
DOJ sues six states for refusing to turn over voter registration rolls, warns ‘open defiance’ of federal law 2025 IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2025 2025-12-03 02:57:53 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
