Federal judge blocks DOJ from accessing Vermont voter rolls

A federal judge has blocked the U.S. Department of Justice from obtaining Vermont’s statewide voter registration database. U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier dismissed the lawsuit, which sought unredacted information including names, dates of birth, residential addresses, and driver’s license or Social Security numbers.

The DOJ argued that Title III of the Civil Rights Act authorized the request to ensure compliance with the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act. However, Judge Lanthier ruled that Title III does not apply to the request and noted that the government failed to allege a basis involving racial discrimination. She further characterized the voter rolls as a “dynamic” repository rather than a “static document” subject to disclosure under the law.

This ruling marks the 24th consecutive federal trial-court loss for the Justice Department in its nationwide efforts to access state voter registration data.