Court Denies Trump's Request for Michigan Voter Data Access

WHO:

ABC News - The Trump administration, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, Justice Department.

CNN - Circuit Judge Andre Mathis, Circuit Judge R. Guy Cole, Jr., Circuit Judge John B. Nalbandian.

WHAT:

ABC News - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit denied the Trump administration's appeal for access to personal information of registered voters in Michigan.

CBS News - This ruling is the first from an appeals court regarding the Trump administration's attempts to obtain sensitive voter information from 30 states and D.C.

CNN - The court ruled that Michigan is not obligated to produce confidential voter data, which could include social security numbers and driver’s license ID numbers.

CNN - The Justice Department has sued 30 states that have refused to produce their unredacted voter rolls.

WHERE:

ABC News - Michigan.

CNN - The ruling was made by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

WHEN:

CNN - The ruling was issued on a Wednesday.

WHY:

CNN - The Trump administration's efforts to obtain voter data are fueled by Trump's belief that the 2020 election was rigged against him.

CNN - The Justice Department relied on the 1960 Civil Rights Act to seek the production of voter data, which was originally aimed at combating voter discrimination.

HOW:

CNN - The 6th Circuit concluded that the voter registration files maintained by states were not among the records covered by the 1960 Civil Rights Act.

CNN - The Justice Department's request for voter files was based on provisions of the 1960 Civil Rights Act, but the court found that the administration failed to meet other legal requirements in its requests.

(UPDATED June 24, 2026 21:25 UTC)

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit has denied Trump's administration's appeal for access to personal information of registered voters in Michigan, marking the first ruling from an appeals court on this matter. The court determined that Michigan is not required to provide confidential voter data, which could include sensitive information like social security numbers and driver’s license IDs, and concluded that the voter registration files are not covered by the 1960 Civil Rights Act. This decision comes as the Justice Department has been suing 30 states that have refused to release their unredacted voter rolls, driven by Trump's belief that the 2020 election was rigged against him.