District courts have dismissed 27 Department of Justice lawsuits seeking state voter-registration data, according to The Gateway Pundit’s (TGP) roundup of filings. TGP also reports many of those same states regularly provide similar information to the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) every 60 days.
How the fight began
TGP says the DOJ Civil Rights Division filed its first voter-roll lawsuits in September 2025 against Oregon and Maine, followed about a week later by six more states. In total, TGP counts 31 suits filed, including one against Washington, D.C. Oklahoma settled and provided its list, per TGP, while three other cases remain pending.
What DOJ asked for
According to TGP, the DOJ sought more than standard voter lists, requesting data such as dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers, saying it needed the details to ensure only citizens vote. TGP adds that in early filings the DOJ noted states already give comparable data to ERIC, which DOJ described as “a private organization without enforcement authority.”
Courts cite privacy and authority limits
TGP reports that judges dismissed the cases for various reasons, including that the 1960 Civil Rights Act does not authorize the DOJ to compel states to turn over unredacted voter data, that privacy laws restrict access to such personal information, that the requests were too broad, and that the National Voter Registration Act and Help America Vote Act do not require disclosure of confidential voter records.
ERIC gets data every 60 days, TGP says
TGP asserts that almost every state resisting DOJ is an ERIC member and that ERIC receives both voter-registration lists and DMV/MVD files from member states every two months. TGP also says only two of 28 ERIC members—Alaska and South Carolina—provided the requested data to DOJ without litigation.
Appeals and one appellate ruling
According to TGP, DOJ has appealed 23 of the dismissals to U.S. circuit courts. The outlet says the Sixth Circuit on June 24, 2026, upheld the dismissal in the Michigan case. TGP reports that no cases have reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
One personnel claim to verify
TGP states that Harmeet Dhillon is the senior DOJ official overseeing these suits. This claim is included here as reported by TGP and has not been independently verified in the source material.
TGP’s critique
TGP characterizes it as “bizarre hypocrisy” that states provide extensive data to ERIC while resisting DOJ requests, and argues the rulings make it harder to examine voter-roll accuracy. These characterizations reflect TGP’s opinion.
