Illinois Federal Court Rejects Trump Demand for Voter Data
Why a judge blocked the DOJ’s attempt to seize Illinois’ voter data
The Trump administration has lost another case in its push to expand federal control over state‑run elections — this time in Illinois. Earlier last year, Trump administration officials at the Department of Justice demanded access to Illinois’ statewide voter registration list, vastly overstepping its authority.1 After nearly a year of legal back-and-forth, Judge Coleen Lawless dismissed this case. 2 It is yet another example of the administration overstepping and losing on the merits.
What Happened
On July 28, 2025, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael Gates and Acting Chief Maureen Riordan wrote to the Illinois Executive Director of the State Board of Elections, Bernadette Matthews, requesting “information regarding the State’s procedures” involving compliance with the National Voter Registration Act.3 Namely, the Department of Justice wanted access to the voter registration list for all of Illinois as well as a description of all efforts to ensure that Illinois was complying with federal law.4
In August, Director Matthews provided a redacted version of the voter registration records, citing privacy laws preventing them from providing those records, especially because sensitive information would be revealed, such as date of birth and partial Social Security numbers. 5 The Attorney General’s office then sent another letter demanding “a current electronic copy of its computerized statewide voter registration list,” which they further demanded contain “all fields” of information. 6 Director Matthews refused, and the DOJ sued.
Note: You can download the complaint below
Why this Matters
At the center of this case was not only the authority of the federal and state governments, but also the clear and present danger from the Trump administration to pursue its ham-fisted view of federal authority over elections. Since May, the Trump administration has sued 30 states and Washington, DC over their refusal to hand over voter registration data, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. 7
It is worth noting that under Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 of the Constitution, states determine “The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof.” 8 Congress can alter these regulations at any time, but this authority may only go “so far as it is exercised, and no farther.” 9 In simple terms, Congress can alter election rules, but they can’t operate beyond the scope of enacted laws. The DOJ does not have legitimate authority to demand these voting records because Congress did not enact specific legislation permitting it to do so. This is a massive overreach
The Ruling
Throughout this case, the DOJ operated in error. For one, the DOJ presupposed that it had the authority under Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 to demand access to unredacted voter registration data. 10
However, as Judge Lawless notes, Title III only permits federal officials to gain access to these records if they “come into {the} possession” of the state officials. This does not apply to Illinois’ voter data, as Illinois creates the list and maintains it itself. 11 Per Judge Lawless’ ruling, it cannot reasonably be construed that these documents have “come into the possession” of the State of Illinois and its board of elections, as they did not receive it from any other location or source.
Moreover, the purpose of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 was to prevent racial discrimination in elections, not to give the Attorney General unilateral authority to access any voter data it likes.
Allowing the Attorney General to review everything the state itself generates serves as an expansive grant of authority and is one such grant that is not clear from the text of the statute.12
There simply is no basis for this broad and unchecked authority that the Trump administration is seeking to claim, and as a result, it was rightfully dismissed.
Conclusion
While this case is a loss for the Trump administration, the painful reality remains the same. Trump and his allies are pursuing an ill-thought-out attempt to undermine elections in an attempt to uphold what they see as election integrity. They don’t have the authority to engage in these acts, and they are not tied to reality when they claim widespread voter fraud.
If anything, the fact that the DOJ has so thoroughly misused federal law to demand access to voter data just shows how divorced from reality this administration is, and it is all because Donald Trump still can’t get over the fact that he lost the 2020 election and is possibly going to lose the midterm elections. So long as he continues to pursue these fallacious cases, the American judiciary must be ready to strike them down with prejudice and the American people must stand against them as long as it takes. Anything less jeopardizes our elections.
U.S. Department of Justice, Voting Section, Letter to Bernadette Matthews, July 28, 2025, https://capitolnewsillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/DOJ-State-of-Illinois-7-2025.pdf.
Opinion, United States v. Matthews, No. 3:25‑cv‑03398 (C.D. Ill. July 31, 2026), 3–4; see also Doc. 65‑1. https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/illinois/ilcdce/3:2025cv03398/98337/101/0.pdf
U.S. Department of Justice, “Letter to Bernadette Matthews,” July 28, 2025.
Hancock, Peter. “Justice Department Sues for Access to Illinois Voter Rolls.” News From The States, December 18, 2025. https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/justice-department-sues-access-illinois-voter-rolls.
Hancock, “Justice Department Sues for Access to Illinois Voter Rolls,” 2025.
Complaint, United States v. Matthews, No. 3:25‑cv‑03398 (C.D. Ill. Dec. 18, 2025), 7.
Martinez-Ochoa, Kaylie, Eileen O’Connor, and Patrick Berry. “Tracker of Justice Department Requests for Voter Information | Brennan Center for Justice.” Brennan Center for Justice, July 21, 2026. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/tracker-justice-department-requests-voter-information.
“States and Elections Clause.” Constitution Annotated. Library of Congress. Accessed August 1, 2026. https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S4-C1-2/ALDE_00013577/.
Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Ariz., Inc., 570 U.S. 1, 9 (2013) (quoting Ex parte Siebold, 100 U.S. 371, 392 (1880)), pg. 6. https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/570/12-71/case.pdf
Complaint, United States v. Matthews, No. 3:25‑cv‑03398 (C.D. Ill. Dec. 18, 2025), at 7.
United States v. Matthews, No. 25‑cv‑3398 (C.D. Ill. July 31, 2026), at 7.
United States v. Matthews, No. 25‑cv‑3398 (C.D. Ill. July 31, 2026), at 8-9.
Bibliography
Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., 570 U.S. 1 (2013). https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/570/12-71/case.pdf
Complaint, United States v. Matthews, No. 3:25-cv-03398 (C.D. Ill. Dec. 18, 2025).
Hancock, Peter. “Justice Department Sues for Access to Illinois Voter Rolls.” News From The States, December 18, 2025. https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/justice-department-sues-access-illinois-voter-rolls
Library of Congress. “States and Elections Clause.” Constitution Annotated. Accessed August 1, 2026. https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S4-C1-2/ALDE_00013577/
Martínez-Ochoa, Kaylie, Eileen O’Connor, and Patrick Berry. “Tracker of Justice Department Requests for Voter Information.” Brennan Center for Justice, July 21, 2026. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/tracker-justice-department-requests-voter-information
U.S. Department of Justice, Voting Section. “Letter to Bernadette Matthews.” July 28, 2025. https://capitolnewsillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/DOJ-State-of-Illinois-7-2025.pdf
United States v. Matthews, No. 25-cv-3398 (C.D. Ill. July 31, 2026). https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/illinois/ilcdce/3:2025cv03398/98337/101/0.pdf
Its all fun and games until January 6,2027...
And everyone thought that was an insurrection?
A non-winning trump and friends will refuse to seat the next duly elected Congress.
Making popcorn 🍿...