US federal court dismisses suit seeking personal information about Rhode Island voters – JURIST

Judge Mary McElroy of the US District Court of Rhode Island on Friday dismissed a suit from the Department of Justice (DOJ) seeking detailed voter information from Rhode Island’s Department of State.  She called the suit, which demanded unredacted voter registration information including Social Security Numbers and driver’s license numbers, “a fishing expedition.”

The DOJ demanded the information from Rhode Island on September 8, 2025.  Secretary of State Gregg Amore refused, saying that Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 (CRA) “allows access to voter records only in connection with an investigation into the infringement or denial of constitutional voting rights.” Amore instead provided a copy of the state’s publicly available voter list, without the unredacted Social Security Numbers and driver’s license numbers.

The DOJ accused Amore of violating the CRA and filed a motion to compel production. It argued that DOJ had the authority to demand personal information about voters under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).  However, Judge McElroy found that the DOJ’s demand letter did not state any facts that would indicate that Rhode Island fails to comply with either law, and the letter did not provide a reason for the demand.

Judge McElroy cited four other recent federal district court decisions on similar cases brought by the DOJ against California, Oregon, Michigan and Massachusetts. The DOJ has made similar demands to most states in the last year.  At least 12 states have agreed to the demands, according to the Brennan Center, which is tracking the cases.

30 states and Washington, DC have been sued by the DOJ for failing to provide the demanded information, which the department claims to need to ensure election security. However, in the Rhode Island case, DOJ attorneys acknowledged that it sought unredacted voter roll information so it could be shared with the Department of Homeland Security to check citizenship status.

Secretary Amore responded to Judge McElroy’s ruling in a statement: “Today’s decision affirms our position: the United States Department of Justice has no legal right to–or need for–the personally-identifiable information in our voter file. Voter list maintenance is a responsibility entrusted to the states.”