New Jersey Wins Dismissal of DOJ Demand for Unredacted Voter Data

A federal judge dismissed with prejudice the DOJ’s bid to obtain New Jersey’s unredacted statewide voter-registration database, ruling that the Civil Rights Act’s inspection provision does not apply to a state-created, live electronic file. The decision blocks the DOJ from refiling under the same theory and marks a win for New Jersey and voting-rights advocates who intervened to protect privacy, while noting the DOJ may appeal. The ruling comes amid broader judicial rejection of similar federal challenges to state voter data.