A Democrat-aligned federal judge has blocked an effort by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to force California to turn over its voter registration databases.
U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter, a Bill Clinton appointee, argued that the demand was “unprecedented and illegal” and beyond the authority granted to the federal government by Congress.
In a 33-page decision, Judge Carter sided with California.
Carter rejected the DOJ’s attempt to compel California’s Secretary of State Shirley Weber to provide sensitive voter data.
The judge wrote that the Justice Department cannot use civil rights statutes “as a tool to forsake the privacy rights of millions of Americans,” emphasizing that any such authority would have to come explicitly from Congress.
“The Department of Justice seeks to use civil rights legislation which was enacted for an entirely different purpose to amass and retain an unprecedented amount of confidential voter data,” Carter wrote.
“This effort goes far beyond what Congress intended when it passed the underlying legislation.”
Judge Warns of “Chilling Effect” on Voters
Carter also claimed that the federal government’s request could discourage Americans from registering to vote due to fears about how their personal information might be used or stored.
“The centralization of this information by the federal government would have a chilling effect on voter registration, which would inevitably lead to decreasing voter turnout as voters fear that their information is being used for some inappropriate or unlawful purpose,” he insisted.
The ruling blocks the DOJ’s lawsuit against California, one of six states sued by the department in September.
In those lawsuits, the DOJ alleged the states violated federal law by refusing to provide voter records the department said were necessary to prevent ineligible individuals from remaining on voter rolls.
California Praises Ruling
Weber welcomed the decision and said she would continue to push back against what she described as federal overreach.
“As California Secretary of State, I am entrusted with ensuring that California’s state election laws are enforced—including state laws that protect the privacy of Californians’ data,” Weber said in a Thursday statement.
She accused President Donald Trump’s administration of showing a “disregard for the rule of law and our right to vote.”
DOJ Sought Identify Ineligible Voters
In its complaint filed on September 25, 2025, the DOJ said California refused to comply with requests for detailed voter registration databases.
The requested information included voters’ full names, dates of birth, home addresses, state driver’s license numbers, and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.
California cited privacy protections under state law as the basis for refusing to provide the data.
The DOJ argued that its Civil Rights Division is responsible for ensuring states properly maintain voter rolls to prevent ineligible voters from being registered.
When the lawsuits were announced, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement:
“Clean voter rolls are the foundation of free and fair elections.
“Every state has a responsibility to ensure that voter registration records are accurate, accessible, and secure—states that don’t fulfill that obligation will see this Department of Justice in court.”
The department further argued that Bondi is charged by Congress with enforcing the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act, which it said were designed to ensure states maintain accurate voter registration systems.
Another Roadblock to Trump’s Election Integrity Agenda
Judge Carter’s ruling represents the latest judicial obstacle facing President Trump’s effort to restore confidence in U.S. elections by enforcing existing federal law.
The effort has been repeatedly resisted by Democrat-run states, invoking privacy claims to avoid transparency.
The decision leaves unresolved whether Congress will be forced to clarify DOJ authority as blue states continue to block federal election oversight, even as concerns about voter roll accuracy remain a central issue for millions of American voters.
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