The essentials
The Justice Department has lost 26 voter roll cases and won none while pursuing 31 lawsuits for unredacted state data.
The U.S. Justice Department has filed 31 lawsuits seeking unredacted voter rolls from states. In voter roll cases decided so far, the department has lost 26 and won none.
Alongside the lawsuits, the department has said it will share voter data with the Department of Homeland Security to screen for noncitizens. It has also warned all 50 states of criminal action over noncitizens on their voter rolls.
The reported results cover only the rulings issued to date. Other cases remain part of the broader litigation, and the data-sharing plan's legal and practical effects are not addressed in the reported outcomes.
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Justice Department Has Lost 26 Voter Roll Cases Without a Win
Viewed through the court record, the department's voter roll campaign has produced no judicial wins so far. Losing 26 cases and winning none suggests courts have not accepted the department's legal basis for demanding unredacted rolls. The outstanding suits could still address that question.
Department Frames Data Sharing as a Tool for Citizenship Screening
From the department's perspective, sharing voter data with Homeland Security and warning all 50 states of criminal action are steps toward ensuring that only eligible citizens appear on voter rolls. Lawsuits seeking unredacted records provide the information needed for that screening, which the department presents as a way to verify voter eligibility.