A federal judge heavily criticized Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s legal argument about taking voter data, saying his interpretation of the law was odd and not in line with standard legal thinking.
U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss, who was appointed by President Obama and used to lead the Justice Department’s legal team, threw out Blanche’s case against the D.C.Board of Elections.
Blanche had filed a lawsuit after the board refused to release full voter registration records, including parts of Social Security and driver’s license numbers, for over 400,000 voters.
The judge specifically mentioned Blanche by name after former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who started the campaign, was removed from her post before the case was settled.
Moss determined that Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960, which Blanche used to ask for the data, only applies to documents that voters provide, like registration forms, not to lists that election officials create.
He said the law doesn’t support Blanche’s unusual and conflicting reading of federal election rules.
The judge also pointed out that Blanche tried to skip standard court procedures by treating the case as a quick process that needed little legal review.
“Moss emphasized that the government isn’t allowed to get a court order that just approves its request without proper scrutiny,” the judge added.
He rejected Blanche’s belief that Title III gave the Justice Department broad power to investigate any federal election law violation.
The judge found a major flaw in the government’s legal approach.
Under Blanche’s interpretation, state election workers could be punished just for updating voter rolls — a task that federal law actually requires them to do.
“This is even worse because it would make officials responsible for doing the very things the government says it wants to enforce,” Moss wrote.
When Blanche’s team called the difference between voter registration forms and lists “trivial,” Moss was not impressed.
He said the Justice Department’s claim that the distinction was “pedantic” didn’t hold up in light of the legal history.
Moss also pointed out that there wasn’t any part of federal election law that gave Blanche special access to state voter rolls, making it hard to understand why the government thought he should have it.
This ruling continues Blanche’s losing streak in President Donald Trump’s nationwide effort to get voter data, which began in May 2025.
The Justice Department has started at least 30 lawsuits asking states and Washington, D.C., for unredacted voter rolls, according to Democracy Docket.
Moss noted that 20 other courts and the Sixth Circuit had already ruled against the government, so his court had plenty of guidance on these issues.
This loss comes as Blanche struggles to confirm as the permanent attorney general.
Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) announced she will vote against his confirmation, which means he only needs one more Republican vote to be approved.
Collins said, “The Department of Justice has become more political.
Mr.Blanche’s actions have made the department less independent.”

Trump, Blanche, and the Trump Cabinet are the most corrupt people in Washington, D.C., with all of the US Senators’ help. All should be defeated in the next election. If you want to save the USA from Trumpism.