Michigan wins another court fight over DOJ access to voter data

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled June 24, 2026 that the Justice Department was not entitled to Michigan’s unredacted voter file, affirming a district court dismissal and dealing another blow to the administration’s broader effort to seek detailed voter information from states.

In a dispute over what DOJ can demand under federal election-related law, the appeals court held that DOJ’s request ran past the limits set by Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960—and that DOJ had not made the kind of statutory demand the court said the law requires.

What DOJ wanted (and what Michigan refused)

The fight was not about the publicly available version of Michigan’s registered-voter list. Michigan had already provided the public voter file.

DOJ sought the unredacted qualified voter file, including sensitive identifiers such as dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers. Michigan declined to turn over those fields.

Why the court said DOJ didn’t qualify for that access

The Sixth Circuit said Title III’s narrow text did not authorize DOJ’s broader demand for inspection of Michigan’s unredacted voter data as requested. The court also concluded DOJ had not met the statute’s demand requirements.

Why this matters beyond Michigan

This is a circuit-court decision—not a Supreme Court ruling—and it is binding only within the Sixth Circuit. Still, it provides another well-defined appellate example that states can point to when they resist federal attempts to obtain sensitive voter records.

National reporting on the decision noted that similar fights have arisen in other places, underscoring how central the issue is to the administration’s approach to voter-data access.

What to watch next

For now, the district court’s dismissal remains in place after the June 24 ruling. The next steps will depend on whether DOJ seeks further review and how other states respond to comparable requests.

Sources

• 6th Circuit opinion in U.S. v. Benson (June 24, 2026)
• Associated Press: Trump administration loses appeal over Michigan voter information
• CBS News: Appeals court rejects DOJ effort to get Michigan voter information
• Michigan Attorney General press release on Feb. 10 district-court dismissal