6th Circuit weighs Trump bid for state voter data access

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld a lower-court order blocking the Justice Department from getting Michigan’s unredacted statewide voter registration file. The records at issue can include dates of birth, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.

The dispute centers on a demand that Michigan turn over its full voter roll after the Justice Department sued the state and five others on Sept. 25, 2025, for refusing to provide statewide registration lists. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said the request would force the state to disclose private information and would violate privacy protections under state and federal law. Benson said in October 2025 that Michigan would not comply.

The Justice Department argues that the data is needed to enforce federal election laws and keep voter lists accurate. In a May 12, 2026 legal memo, the department said its Civil Rights Division could seek statewide voter lists and share them with the Department of Homeland Security to identify people who may be ineligible to vote.

The ruling comes as the administration has pressed similar requests in lawsuits across the country. Its Sept. 25, 2025 announcement named California, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York and Pennsylvania, and the broader campaign covered 29 states plus the District of Columbia. Election officials and voting-rights advocates have argued that approach goes far beyond routine list maintenance and could expose millions of voters’ personal data.

In May 2025, the 6th Circuit upheld dismissal of a separate challenge that accused the state of not removing dead voters quickly enough, and Michigan cancels registrations using state and federal death records.