West Virginia judge blocks Trump DOJ request for voter registration data

U.S. District Judge Thomas E. Johnston, a Republican appointee, dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit against West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner, ruling that the administration’s demand for the state’s unredacted voter registration list lacked the statutory basis required under the Civil Rights Act of 1960. The request sought full names, birth dates, addresses and identifying details such as driver’s‑license numbers and the last four digits of Social Security numbers. The judge said the DOJ’s letter failed to provide a factual basis or evidence that West Virginia was violating the National Voter Registration Act or the Help America Vote Act.

The ruling marks another defeat in the Trump administration’s nationwide effort to obtain state voter‑roll data, now its thirteenth loss. Johnston noted that eleven federal district courts and one appeals court have similarly dismissed comparable lawsuits, leaving the DOJ without any court victories on these voter‑data demands.