U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan issued a ruling on Friday that prevents the Department of Justice (DOJ) from continuing its nationwide initiative to collect state voter registration records. The program, launched under the Trump administration, was designed to cross-reference these lists with federal databases to identify individuals who may not be U.S. citizens but are registered to vote.

In her decision, Judge Sooknanan concluded that the DOJ acted beyond its legal authority in its attempt to compel states to provide this data. Furthermore, the court found that the department’s methods violated federal privacy laws. The ruling applies broadly, effectively barring the administration from maintaining the program even in states that had previously expressed a willingness to cooperate voluntarily. The court’s decision centers on the interpretation of federal oversight powers versus the autonomy of states in managing their own election records. While the DOJ argued the program was a necessary step to ensure election integrity, the court determined that the current legal framework does not grant the federal government the power to seize these specific records for the purpose of creating a national eligibility database.