A federal judge ruled that the Justice Department cannot compel Washington, D.C., to hand over its full voter list, citing legal limitations under the Civil Rights Act of 1960.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A federal judge appointed by Barack Obama has rejected the U.S. Justice Department’s effort to obtain Washington, D.C.’s complete voter registration list, ruling the agency lacks the legal authority to compel the city to provide names, birthdates, identification numbers, and other nonpublic voter information. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1960 permits the attorney general to request individual voter registration records but does not authorize access to a state’s or district’s compiled voter registration list. 📺 DETAIL: The Justice Department argued it needed the data to compare voter records against federal databases to identify potentially ineligible voters, including deceased individuals and noncitizens. Washington, D.C., provided its public voter list but declined to release additional identifying information, such as driver’s licenses and partial Social Security numbers, that federal officials sought. Moss ruled that voter registration lists are created by election officials from individual registration records and, therefore, are not covered by the 1960 law’s record-production requirements. He added that if the Justice Department believes broader authority is necessary, it must seek changes from Congress rather than the courts. The ruling follows similar decisions by judges in other states, including Maryland and Virginia, where courts also rejected the administration’s attempts to obtain full voter registration lists. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “If the Department of Justice wants more, it needs to lodge that objection with Congress.” – Judge Randolph Moss 🎯 IMPACT: This decision represents another setback for the DOJ’s efforts to scrutinize voter rolls across the country. |
Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.
FLASHBACK: Removing the cap was 
