A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to identify every state that received Justice Department demands concerning alleged noncitizen voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Chief Judge James Boasberg said he plans to rule by Monday, the day before Election Day, on Democratic leaders’ request to restrict the administration’s election-related actions.
The order came in a lawsuit filed Oct. 20 by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, national Democratic campaign committees, the Nevada Democratic Party and a naturalized California voter. The plaintiffs accuse President Donald Trump’s administration of pressuring state officials with threats of criminal prosecution and attempting to interfere with states’ authority to issue and count ballots. Boasberg partially granted their request for expedited discovery but did not decide the request for a temporary restraining order.
The judge specifically sought information about whether states beyond California and Washington received similar letters. The Justice Department has said the letters merely notify states of possible violations of federal law and do not compel officials to take action without a court order. Government attorney Christian Dibblee argued that any consequences would depend on decisions by state officials, while the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Uzoma Nkwonta, said the letters amounted to coercion and that other states may have complied quietly.
The dispute follows a separate California case in which the Justice Department sought to have officials set aside mail ballots from about 20,000 people the administration identified as likely noncitizens. A federal judge rejected that request on Wednesday, concluding that the government’s proposed intervention would likely violate federal law and disrupt the state’s election procedures. California officials have defended their ballot-processing system, while Washington’s secretary of state said a list supplied by the Justice Department included U.S.
Boasberg questioned whether the Democratic plaintiffs had shown sufficient legal standing, saying their concerns might depend on speculation about future government actions. He gave the administration until noon Friday to provide the requested information and allowed the plaintiffs to file supplemental briefing Saturday. The judge said the administration could effectively end the dispute by notifying the court that it would not send additional election-related demands before voting, otherwise he expects to issue a decision Monday.