Court Blocks Doj's Voter Roll Audit, Citing Civil Rights Concerns
WHO:
CNN - Judge Sparkle Sooknanan was appointed to the bench by President Joe Biden.
CBS News - A federal judge has struck down the Trump administration's plan.
CNN - US District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan issued the ruling.
CNN - The Justice Department is involved in the voter roll audit plan.
CNN - The voter advocacy group Common Cause is a plaintiff in the case.
WHAT:
CNN - Judge Sparkle Sooknanan described the Justice Department's actions as an attempt to "subvert civil rights laws" with the voter roll audit plan.
CNN - Sooknanan stated that the Trump administration's actions represent a "stinging rebuke" of the shift in priorities at the Justice Department, particularly regarding the Civil Rights Division.
CNN - The judge noted that the DOJ's arguments about the law would “subvert” its text, indicating a misuse of investigatory powers granted to the attorney general.
CNN - Sooknanan's ruling noted that she was joining 25 other district judges who have ruled against the DOJ in similar lawsuits regarding state voter data.
CNN - The judge's ruling is described as a "stinging rebuke" of the Trump administration's shift in priorities at the Justice Department, particularly regarding the Civil Rights Division.
CNN - The judge stated that the Trump administration's actions represent an attempt to decide who gets to vote, which is constitutionally reserved for the states.
CBS News - The judge's ruling blocks the Trump administration's plan to check state voter rolls against federal immigration databases.
CNN - The ruling halts the Justice Department’s project to obtain non-public data and audit nearly every state’s voter rolls.
CNN - The judge described the 78-page opinion as a rebuke of the administration's shift in priorities at the Justice Department.
CNN - At least 18 states have produced registration records to the Justice Department.
CNN - The judge concluded that the Trump administration violated federal laws in demanding states produce non-public voter data.
WHERE:
CNN - The ruling pertains to actions involving nearly every state in the United States.
WHEN:
CNN - The judge stated that states would be required to “clean” their rolls within 45 days after the audit.
WHY:
CNN - Sooknanan concluded that the Trump administration violated federal laws in demanding states produce non-public voter data for the purpose of finding alleged non-citizens on the rolls.
CNN - The judge accused the Justice Department of running “roughshod over longstanding laws that were carefully crafted to protect the rights of the American people.”
CNN - The judge accused the Justice Department of trying to subvert civil rights laws with the voter roll audit plan.
CNN - The administration's actions were described as an attempt to decide who gets to vote, which the judge stated is constitutionally reserved for the states.
HOW:
CNN - The administration planned to compare voter rolls with a citizenship records data system known as SAVE, as well as other federal databases, to identify ineligible voters.
CNN - The administration's plan involved comparing voter rolls with a citizenship records data system known as SAVE, as well as other federal databases, to identify ineligible voters.
CNN - The administration planned to compare voter rolls with a citizenship records data system known as SAVE and other federal databases to identify ineligible voters.
CNN - The judge noted that the DOJ's arguments about the law would “subvert” its text, indicating a misuse of investigatory powers granted to the attorney general.
(UPDATED October 10, 2026 02:13 UTC)
A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration's demand for states to produce non-public voter data violated federal laws, describing the Justice Department's voter roll audit plan as an attempt to "subvert civil rights laws." Judge Sparkle Sooknanan characterized the administration's actions as a "stinging rebuke" of the Justice Department's shift in priorities, particularly within the Civil Rights Division, and noted that she was joining 25 other district judges who have ruled against the DOJ in similar cases. Sooknanan pointed out that the DOJ's arguments would misuse investigatory powers and indicated that the administration's plan to compare voter rolls with the citizenship records data system known as SAVE was problematic.
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(UPDATED October 10, 2026 01:29 UTC)
Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, appointed to the bench by President Biden, has issued a ruling that serves as a stinging rebuke of the Trump administration's changes to the Justice Department, particularly concerning the Civil Rights Division. In her decision, she criticized the administration for attempting to influence voting rights, which she emphasized are constitutionally reserved for the states, and accused the Justice Department of disregarding longstanding laws designed to protect the rights of the American people. The administration's controversial plan involved cross-referencing voter rolls with a citizenship records data system known as SAVE and other federal databases to identify ineligible voters.
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(UPDATED October 10, 2026 00:00 UTC)
A federal judge has struck down Trump's plan to check state voter rolls against federal immigration databases, ruling that the administration violated federal laws by demanding non-public voter data from states. US District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan described the 78-page opinion as a rebuke of the Justice Department's shift in priorities and accused it of trying to subvert civil rights laws with the voter roll audit plan. States will be required to clean their rolls within 45 days after the audit, as the judge emphasized that the decision of who gets to vote is constitutionally reserved for the states.