AfriPulse
President Donald Trump answers questions from the press before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Washington (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta).
In a recent decision, a federal judge thwarted the Department of Justice’s attempt to access Rhode Island’s full voter rolls, including unredacted details. The judge ruled on Friday that any future efforts from the department would also be unsuccessful.
U.S. District Judge Mary S. McElroy issued a detailed 14-page opinion criticizing the DOJ’s intentions to acquire sensitive information such as driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers. She highlighted the lack of a substantial factual basis for their request.
Appointed by President Trump in 2019, Judge McElroy noted that an amended request – which the DOJ called a “curing elaboration letter” – sent to Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore would fail to address the core issues at play.
Even if this new letter laid out a factual basis for the request, McElroy asserted that it would “still fail to state a claim” as it lacks a “legally sufficient purpose,” in accordance with the stipulations outlined in Title III of the Civil Rights Act.
The judge remarked, “While the United States implies that Title III permits unfounded ‘fishing expeditions,’ such an interpretation would render Title III redundant and circular, which could not have been Congress’s intent.”
The DOJ’s Title III demands have spanned the entire country but succeeded mainly in red states, leading it to sue more than two dozen blue or purple states to force compliance.
The most aggressive move came in January, when the FBI executed a search warrant in Fulton County, Georgia, and seized 2020 election ballots, tabulators, and voter rolls.
The raid happened while the government was suing the clerk for the records, in the very county where, in the days before Jan. 6, Trump pressured the state’s Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find 11,780” votes.
The county has demanded the return of 656 boxes “containing the original versions of 2020 election-related materials,” challenged the validity of the warrant, and so far unsuccessfully sought internal FBI documents about the raid — even as it claims it’s at the “epicenter” of Trump’s plot to “take over the voting.”
However, the project championed by former Attorney General Pam Bondi and carried out by DOJ Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon has spiraled into a four-game losing streak.
On Friday, McElroy extended that streak to five.
“While the present Motions were pending, four other federal district courts issued decisions on nearly identical cases brought by the United States seeking unredacted voter registration information from California, Oregon, Michigan, and Massachusetts,” the judge observed. “All four courts dismissed the United States’ lawsuits.”
“Absent from the demand are any factual allegations suggesting that Rhode Island may be violating the list maintenance requirements of the NVRA and HAVA, let alone the CRA. This alone would be enough to foreclose judicial enforcement of the demand,” she concluded.
The ruling was a delight to Democratic Party election lawyer Marc Elias.
DOJ demanded voter files from all 50 states.
DOJ sued 31 states for refusing their demand.
My law firm intervened to protect voters in those cases.
DOJ is now 0-5.
My firm is 5-0.
Lesson: When we fight we win.
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) April 17, 2026
“DOJ demanded voter files from all 50 states. DOJ sued 31 states for refusing their demand. My law firm intervened to protect voters in those cases,” he said. “DOJ is now 0-5. My firm is 5-0. Lesson: When we fight we win.”
Dhillon, seen by a segment of MAGA as a candidate to replace Bondi, posted a link Thursday to a Wall Street Journal opinion piece that billed her as “Trump’s Civil-Rights Enforcer in Action.”
“It’s always nice when the boss notices your work! It’s the honor of my career to serve in this administration for the best President of my lifetime! @CivilRights,” Dhillon said, sharing a screenshot of a Trump Truth Social post.
It didn’t take long for Elias to respond.
“We share something in common: I am proud that he has noticed my work in defeating him and his cronies in court over and over again,” he answered. “I wear Trump’s scorn as a badge of honor.”
Source: NewsFinale | Read the Full Story…
