Federal Judge Vacates DOJ Voter-Roll Maintenance Policy

Event date: October 9, 2026 ruling | Source publication: Reuters, October 9, 1:08 p.m. Central | Site publication: October 10, 2026

U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan ruled against the Justice Department’s policy of obtaining state voter rolls and comparing them with federal citizenship records. In Common Cause v. U.S. Department of Justice, the court found statutory violations and addressed the risk of incorrectly identifying eligible citizens as noncitizens.

Procedural status and responses

The court granted the plaintiffs partial summary judgment and vacated DOJ’s Voter List Maintenance Policy. It ruled on statutory grounds and did not decide the constitutional claims. This is a district-court decision; further proceedings or an appeal remain possible.

DOJ defended its statutory authority and the policy’s legality in the litigation. Following the decision, a spokesperson told Reuters the department was reviewing it. Plaintiffs’ counsel welcomed the ruling as protection against federal disruption of elections.

Why it matters: The decision concerns voter privacy, federal and state election authority, and the risk of wrongful removal of naturalized citizens. It does not authorize noncitizen voting or decide every dispute involving the SAVE database.

Sources: October 9 court opinion, Document 51 · Reuters reporting and responses