Massachusetts federal judge tosses DOJ lawsuit seeking voter rolls

Tim Dunn, Boston Herald on Apr 10, 2026

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BOSTON — A federal judge has dismissed a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit that was seeking Bay State voter rolls, as the Trump administration seeks to rid federal elections of voter fraud.

U.S. District Court Judge Leo Sorokin — nominated by former President Barack Obama in 2013 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2014 — tossed out the suit on the basis that it “offered no factual justification,” a mandatory prerequisite under a federal statute implemented since 1960.

The DOJ filed the suit against Secretary of State Bill Galvin in December under then-Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“This case is one of more than two dozen brought by the United States against state election officials seeking production of statewide voter registration lists,” Sorokin wrote in his ruling. “The United States’ Complaint fails for the simple reason that the Attorney General’s demand did not comply with Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960, the statute on which it purports to rely. For this reason and as elaborated below, this case is DISMISSED.”

Sorokin went on to explain that the DOJ did not provide a statement explaining why the attorney general demands the records be produced, adding that the reason cannot be based on speculation.

“Simply, the statute requires a statement of why the Attorney General demands production of the requested records — and, as conveyed by the statute’s use of the definite article, the statement must be ‘the’ factual basis, not just a conceivable or possible basis,” Sorokin said.

It’s the latest in a series of rulings in federal court in which judges have consistently ruled against the Trump administration’s efforts to obtain voter information from the states. Similar rulings have been made recently in Oregon, California, Michigan and Georgia. Appeals are pending in several of these cases across the country.

Galvin and Attorney General Andrea Campbell are celebrating the ruling, calling the Trump administration’s lawsuit “cruel and harmful.”

“I am very pleased that the court has recognized that the Department of Justice’s demand for unfettered access to personal voter data was completely without any stated basis or purpose. Private voter information should never be the subject of a fishing expedition,” said Galvin in a joint-press release with Campbell.

“Today’s ruling is a decisive win for Massachusetts voters and the rule of law. The privacy of our voters is not up for negotiation, and I will continue to defend the integrity and security of our elections from the Trump Administration’s cruel and harmful agenda,” Campbell added.

The Trump administration launched a federal probe into state voter information in May 2025, sending letters to 40 states demanding they provide “full electronic voter files” — including information related to “registered voters identified as ineligible to vote” due to being illegal immigrants or having a felony conviction, the state’s voter registration and list maintenance procedures, how election officials process applications to vote by mail, and how they verify registered voters are not ineligible to vote.

The administration says it’s requesting the information to root out voter fraud and ensure election integrity.

The DOJ sent a letter to Secretary of State Bill Galvin on July 22 requesting Massachusetts voter information, giving the office 14 days to respond. Galvin’s office replied by requesting 60 days to issue a response.

The DOJ sent Galvin another letter on Aug. 14, again demanding the information. After months of no response, the Secretary of State’s office informed the DOJ it would not be providing the requested voter information on Dec. 4. The DOJ filed its lawsuit against Galvin and his office on Dec. 17.

“The law is clear: states need to give us this information, so we can do our duty to protect American citizens from vote dilution,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon in a press release announcing the lawsuit. “Today’s filings show that regardless of which party is in charge of a particular state, the Department of Justice will firmly stand on the side of election integrity and transparency.”

The federal government had specifically requested voters’ full names, dates of birth, residential addresses, and state driver’s license numbers, or the final four digits of Social Security numbers.

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