US judge blocks Justice Department bid to seize voter data in Rhode Island

A federal judge has blocked a Justice Department attempt to obtain voter registration data from Rhode Island, dealing the Trump administration another legal defeat in its ongoing effort to access state-level electoral records, according to reporting by Al Jazeera.

The ruling is the latest in a series of court losses for the administration, which has been seeking voter data from multiple states as the 2026 midterm elections approach.

What the court decided

The judge's decision prevents federal authorities from compelling Rhode Island to hand over the voter information, at least for the time being. Courts have consistently scrutinized the administration's requests for such data, raising questions about the legal basis and scope of the federal demands.

The Justice Department's push to access state voter rolls has been framed by administration officials as part of broader efforts to ensure election integrity. Critics, however, have argued that the requests represent an overreach of federal authority into matters traditionally governed by individual states.

A pattern of legal setbacks

Rhode Island is not an isolated case. The Trump administration has faced repeated judicial resistance in its attempts to gather voter data across the country. Federal judges have questioned whether the administration has sufficient legal grounds to demand records that states maintain and control under longstanding electoral frameworks.

State officials in several jurisdictions have pushed back against the requests, arguing that compliance could compromise voter privacy and undermine public trust in electoral systems.

Midterm context

The administration's effort to obtain voter data comes as both major political parties prepare for the 2026 midterm elections, in which control of Congress will be at stake. The timing has drawn scrutiny from election law experts and civil liberties organizations, who have called for transparency around what the federal government intends to do with the data it seeks.

The Justice Department has not publicly detailed the full scope of its data collection efforts or how the information would be stored, analyzed, or used.

Rhode Island officials have not yet issued public statements on the ruling, according to available reporting. The Justice Department's next steps in the case remain unclear.

The ruling was reported by Al Jazeera on April 17, 2026.