DOJ Attorney General Threatens Supreme Court Intervention to Seize State Voter Data
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Attorney General Todd Blanche signaled the Justice Department may escalate its crusade for intrusive voter-roll data to the Supreme Court, after federal judges blocked its overreaching demands in dozens of states ahead of the midterms.
Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared on NBC News’ 'Meet the Press' to announce that the Justice Department may drag 22 cases—where it was rightfully rebuffed by federal judges for demanding invasive access to state voter-roll information—all the way to the Supreme Court. These cases stem from a controversial executive order that forced states to turn over sensitive personal data, including names, birth dates, addresses, driver’s-license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers, under the pretext of investigating so-called 'registration anomalies' like non-citizen voting—a narrative often used to justify voter suppression.
Federal judges in states such as Oregon and Michigan have sided with at least 22 states that resisted this federal overreach, while the Justice Department has aggressively sued 30 states and the District of Columbia for defending their residents’ privacy. Some states have complied, but many—especially those under Republican leadership—have clung to the notion that election administration is a state right, often as a cover for undermining access to the ballot box.
'Election integrity is something that President Trump ran on, and the American people elected him. It’s something that every American should care about,' Blanche claimed, echoing the administration’s relentless campaign to sow distrust in the electoral process.
'We’re not going to stop doing what I think every American should expect us to do, which is make sure that we have elections that are fair,' he added, ignoring the chilling effect these actions have on voter participation.
Blanche, confirmed after backroom deals with GOP senators, insisted his department would act with 'integrity' and that the president would not direct him to break the law—despite the administration’s ongoing attacks on democratic norms. He also noted that a proposed $2 billion 'anti-weaponization' fund, designed to intimidate the Justice Department, has been dropped.