Todd Blanche suffers 20th consecutive court loss in DOJ bid for state voter data

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recorded his 20th straight defeat as the Justice Department’s effort to compel states to turn over voter‑registration lists was dismissed with prejudice by U.S. District Judge Philip Brimmer, a George W. Bush appointee, in Colorado. The judge ruled that Colorado’s voter list is not the type of record required under the Civil Rights Act of 1960, barring the DOJ from refiling the claim. Earlier, Judge Colleen Lawless dismissed a similar lawsuit in Illinois, marking the department’s 19th loss. The rulings underscore that the DOJ lacks authority to supersede state control of voter rolls. Blanche’s loss coincided with the Senate Judiciary Committee’s 12‑10 vote to advance his nomination as permanent attorney general. Twelve of the twenty defeats have come from judges appointed by Republican presidents.