Judge Rejects Trump Effort to Obtain Rhode Island's Voter Data

A Federal Judge on 4/17/2026 Rejected the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Bid to Force Rhode Island to Turn-Over Non-Public Data on nearly 750,000 Registered Voters, so the Trump (R) Administration could probe "Election Integrity" in the Democratic-led State.

The Ruling by U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy in Providence, Marked the Latest in a Series of Legal Setbacks for the DOJ's Efforts, after judges Ruled Against its Similar Requests in: California, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Oregon.

The DOJ under Trump, had Sued 30 States and the District of Columbia, Seeking Unredacted Voter Files that contain Driver's LicenseNnumbers and Last Four Digits of their Social Security Numbers, saying such Data is Needed to Probe their Compliance with Federal Election Laws.

McElroy called the Request to Rhode Island "Unprecedented" and Concluded the Department Lacked Authority under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) or the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) "to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here."

Trump has Long pushed the False Claim that His 2020 Election Defeat to President Joe Biden (D) was the Result of Widespread Voter Fraud.

The DOJ aims to Ensure States Maintain Accurate Voter Lists, and is already Identifying Duplicate and Deceased Voters using Non-Public Voter Registration Data in its Possession.

It Filed the Case before McElroy in 12/2025, after Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore (D), Offered to Provide a Copy of the State's Publicly Available Voter Registration List, but Declined to Provide Unredacted Data.

Eric Neff (R), the Acting Chief of the DOJ's Voting Section, during a 3/26/2026 Hearing said the Trump Administration wanted that Information to Ensure Rhode Island's Voter List is "Clean" and Flag Anyone who should be Purged.

That Process, He said, would include Sharing Data with U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to have it Confirm if Registered Voters are Citizens. The DOJ Relied on a Provision of the Civil Rights Act of (CRA) 1960 to Demand the Voting-Related Records, a Legal Authority that McElroy said was Inntended to Aallow the Government to Detect Voting-Related Racial Discrimination.

She said that while the Law does Not Limit its Application to Examining Discrimination, the Department must Provide a Factual Basis, for why it needs Voting Records, which it did Not give in Rhode Island’s Case.










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