Federal Judge in Oregon Dismisses Trump DOJ Lawsuit Seeking Full Unredacted Voter Rolls
U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai said he will dismiss the Trump Justice Department’s lawsuit seeking Oregon’s unredacted voter rolls and will issue a written opinion, marking a second federal‑court rebuff after an earlier California ruling. The decision, part of the DOJ’s multi‑state effort that has sued at least 23 states and D.C., drew praise from Oregon AG Dan Rayfield—who said federal voting laws cannot be used as a “backdoor” to obtain dates of birth, driver’s‑license numbers and partial Social Security numbers—and has prompted criticism, including over a related letter to Minnesota officials seen by critics as a coercive bid for detailed voter data.
📌 Key Facts
- U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai said he will dismiss the Trump DOJ’s lawsuit seeking Oregon’s unredacted voter rolls and will issue a written opinion in the coming days.
- The Oregon ruling is the second federal-court rejection of the DOJ’s multi‑state effort to compel full voter rolls, following Judge Carter’s earlier decision in California; the DOJ has sued at least 23 states and D.C. and is 0‑for‑2 in getting courts to accept its broad reading of its data‑access powers.
- The DOJ’s lawsuits seek detailed voter‑registration data, including names, dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.
- Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said federal voting laws cannot be used as a “backdoor” to obtain residents’ dates of birth, driver’s license numbers and partial SSNs, and that the DOJ never met the legal standard for access to such records.
- The Oregon decision was reported alongside other DOJ efforts, including a letter from Attorney General Pam Bondi to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz that conditioned “restoring law and order” on, among other steps, granting DOJ’s Civil Rights Division access to Minnesota’s detailed voter registration data.
- Minnesota officials and Democrats characterized Bondi’s letter as coercive: Rep. Ilhan Omar said the administration was trying to “rig elections,” and Minnesota’s lawyer in court called the letter a “ransom note.”
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 27, 2026
12:00 PM
Federal judge blocks Trump DOJ access to Oregon voter rolls
New information:
- Judge Mustafa Kasubhai stated in open court that he will dismiss the Trump DOJ’s lawsuit seeking Oregon’s unredacted voter rolls and will issue a written opinion in the coming days.
- Oregon AG Dan Rayfield publicly framed the ruling as blocking a DOJ effort to use voting laws as a "backdoor" to grab residents’ personal information and said DOJ never met the legal standard for such records.
- The article ties the Oregon ruling to Attorney General Pam Bondi’s weekend letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, which conditions "restoring law and order" in Minnesota on, among other steps, granting DOJ Civil Rights Division access to Minnesota’s detailed voter registration data.
- Minnesota officials and Democrats characterize Bondi’s letter as a coercive attempt to leverage ICE operations to obtain voter data, with Rep. Ilhan Omar accusing the administration of trying to "rig elections" and Minnesota’s lawyer calling the letter a "ransom note" in court.
- The piece reiterates that the Trump administration has filed similar voter‑data suits in at least 23 states seeking names, dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.
3:49 AM
Federal judge dismisses Justice Department lawsuit seeking Oregon's voter rolls
New information:
- The Oregon ruling adds a second federal court rejection to DOJ’s multi‑state effort to force access to full voter rolls, following Judge Carter’s earlier California decision.
- Oregon’s AG emphasizes that federal voting laws cannot be used as a 'backdoor' to pry loose residents’ dates of birth, driver’s license numbers and partial SSNs.
- The article reinforces that DOJ has already sued at least 23 states and D.C. and is now 0‑for‑2 in getting courts to accept its broad reading of its data‑access powers.
January 16, 2026