**Excerpt**: A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit from the Justice Department seeking Oregon’s voter registration information, marking another setback for the Trump administration in its quest for voter data.
Key Points
– A federal judge in Oregon dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit for voter registration information.
– The lawsuit aimed to obtain sensitive data from nearly 3.8 million registered voters in Oregon.
– Oregon’s Attorney General stated that the federal government did not meet the necessary legal standards for the records.
– This dismissal follows similar rejections of Justice Department requests in other states, including California.
– The Trump administration has faced pushback from multiple states regarding voter data requests.
Full Article
Background
On January 27, 2026, U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department that sought sensitive voter information from Oregon. The ruling represents a significant setback for the Trump administration, which has been attempting to obtain voter registration lists from various states.
Details of the Lawsuit
The Justice Department had filed the lawsuit in September, aiming to compel Oregon to release its voter registration list, which includes sensitive details such as addresses, birth dates, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers. The lawsuit claimed that Oregon and Secretary of State Tobias Read violated federal voting laws by refusing to provide an unredacted version of the voter rolls.
Oregon’s Defense
In response, Oregon officials argued that the Justice Department lacked the legal authority to demand the sensitive information. They emphasized that federal privacy laws protect records related to activities safeguarded by the First Amendment. Oregon Attorney General Day Rayfield stated that the court dismissed the case because the federal government failed to meet the legal requirements for obtaining the records.
Judicial Proceedings
Judge Kasubhai, appointed by President Joe Biden, held a hearing earlier in January regarding the state’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit. He also addressed a related letter from Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to Minnesota’s Governor Tim Walz, which discussed cooperation in enforcement activities and access to voter rolls.
Wider Implications
Since May, the Justice Department has sought complete voter registration lists from nearly every state and Washington, D.C. Reports indicate that at least 11 states have either complied or signaled intentions to provide the requested information. The Justice Department has filed lawsuits against multiple states for refusing to disclose voter data, asserting that such records are necessary to maintain accurate voter rolls and prevent fraud in federal elections.
However, documents reviewed by CBS News suggest that the Justice Department may also be leveraging this data for criminal and immigration investigations in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.
Conclusion
As the legal battles over voter data continue, the dismissal of this lawsuit sets a precedent regarding the limits of federal authority in accessing state voter registration information.
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