Judge tosses Trump admin. lawsuit seeking access to Arizona voter data

Politics Judge tosses out Trump administration lawsuit seeking access to Arizona voter data By Joe Walsh Joe Walsh Senior Editor, Politics Joe Walsh is a senior editor for digital politics at CBS News. Joe previously covered breaking news for Forbes and local news in Boston. Read Full Bio Joe Walsh April 28, 2026 / 10:32 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit from the Justice Department seeking information on Arizona voters, another defeat in the Trump administration's nationwide push for voter data.U.S. District Judge Susan Brnovich sided with Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, finding that Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 doesn't grant the Justice Department the power to demand that Arizona produce its statewide voter registration list."This case presents a legal question: is the Attorney General entitled to the SVRL under Title III," the Trump-nominated judge wrote. "It does not present a political question: should the Attorney General be entitled to the SVRL."Fontes and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes hailed the ruling, writing in a joint statement Thursday that the data sought by the Justice Department "contains the sensitive personal information of millions of Arizona voters.""Arizona acted correctly in refusing this request, and today's ruling vindicates that decision," they said. "Our offices will continue to defend the privacy of Arizona voters against federal overreach."CBS News has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.The ruling marks the Justice Department's sixth loss in lawsuits seeking state-level voter data, following similar rulings in California, Oregon, Michigan, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The Justice Department asked Fontes to hand over Arizona's voter registration list last summer, saying it was checking the state's compliance with the National Voter Registration Act and Help America Vote Act. The department later clarified that it needed voters' full names, d...