Appeals Court Rejects DOJ’s Demand for Michigan Voter Rolls

The court held that a civil rights law may not be used to compel a state to hand over voter registration records.

The U.S. Department of Justice in Washington on April 27, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

A divided federal appeals court panel on June 24 upheld a block preventing the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) from obtaining Michigan’s voter rolls.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled 2–1 that the DOJ lacks authority under Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 to demand that Michigan hand over its full, unredacted statewide voter registration database. The ruling upholds a prior order issued by U.S. District Judge Hala Jarbou.