Story perspectives

6th Circuit Blocks DOJ Voter File Request, Cites Privacy Risks

6/25/2026

Summary

Story summary

A 6th Circuit split 2-1 to reject the Justice Department’s request for Michigan’s voter files.
Judges warned the plan to match voter files with a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) citizenship database—false positives—could flag voters and threaten privacy.
The decision, the ninth rejection of Department of Justice (DOJ) voter-roll lawsuits, protects numbers and was made by judges from both parties, including five President Donald Trump appointees and four Democratic appointees.

History

Historical Context

Congress enacted the National Voter Registration Act in 1993, mandating a uniform federal form and motor-vehicle-based registration that unified voter data and limited roll purges. The Supreme Court’s 2013 Arizona decision reinforced those privacy safeguards. In 2024 the Sixth Circuit barred the DOJ from merging Michigan voter files with the DHS citizenship database, upholding the act’s protections, which exempt six states.

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Story summary

A 6th Circuit split 2-1 to reject the Justice Department’s request for Michigan’s voter files.
Judges warned the plan to match voter files with a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) citizenship database—false positives—could flag voters and threaten privacy.
The decision, the ninth rejection of Department of Justice (DOJ) voter-roll lawsuits, protects numbers and was made by judges from both parties, including five President Donald Trump appointees and four Democratic appointees.

1 / 2