Federal judge dismisses Trump administration lawsuit seeking New Hampshire voter files
A federal judge in Concord dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit seeking New Hampshire’s unredacted voter-registration list, blocking the requested transfer of confidential state election records.
The dismissal, issued June 29, leaves in place New Hampshire’s refusal to provide the more sensitive voter information sought by the federal government. The case concerned records held by the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s office and was decided in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire.
State cited limits on voter-file distribution
Secretary of State Dave Scanlan had declined the federal request under New Hampshire law. RSA 654:31 restricts distribution of the state voter file to political committees and candidates.
The requested records included confidential voter information that is not contained in the ordinary public voter file. New Hampshire does provide a less-sensitive voter file to authorized recipients, but the litigation concerned the administration’s request for the unredacted version.
The court’s action was a dismissal of the administration’s lawsuit, rather than a new state policy or a change to the voter-file statute. The supplied reporting does not establish the precise categories of information sought; those details would require review of the full court order and case pleadings.
Election-records dispute continues to draw scrutiny
Scanlan welcomed the ruling and said he would continue protecting voter information as required by state law.
The League of Women Voters of New Hampshire and the ACLU of New Hampshire filed an amicus brief opposing the Department of Justice request for private voter information. The groups argued that the demand lacked a legitimate legal basis and raised questions about election-administration authority.
The decision comes during the 2026 midterm election cycle, when the handling and disclosure of voter records remains a significant election-administration issue. The ruling addresses this request for New Hampshire’s confidential file; it does not permanently resolve every potential federal request for voter data nationwide.
No appeal status established in supplied reporting
Reporting identified the federal government’s next step as unclear. The approved source packet did not establish whether an appeal had been filed as of Aug. 3, 2026.
For now, the dismissal preserves New Hampshire’s existing statutory restrictions on distributing the confidential voter information at issue in the case.
Sources
- Judge dismisses Trump’s bid to access NH’s confidential voter files, Concord Monitor
- Court decision blocking NH voter file transfer, New Hampshire Bulletin
- United States of America v. New Hampshire Secretary of State, League of Women Voters
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