Press Release  AG Campbell, Secretary Galvin Applaud Court’s Dismissal of DOJ’s Lawsuit Demanding Massachusetts Voter Data

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin today celebrated the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts’s decision to dismiss the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)’s lawsuit against Secretary Galvin for refusing to turn over an unredacted voter list containing every Massachusetts voter’s private information. 

“Today’s ruling is a decisive win for Massachusetts voters and the rule of law,” said AG Campbell. “The privacy of our voters is not up for negotiation, and I will continue to defend the integrity and security of our elections from the Trump Administration’s cruel and harmful agenda.”  

“I am very pleased that the court has recognized that the Department of Justice’s demand for unfettered access to personal voter data was completely without any stated basis or purpose. Private voter information should never be the subject of a fishing expedition,” said Secretary Galvin. 

In July and August 2025, the DOJ sent letters to Secretary Galvin requesting the Commonwealth’s voter registration list, including personal identifying information about every Massachusetts voter. The request did not cite any concern regarding Massachusetts's compliance with federal voting laws, nor did it include a basis for why it needed that information. To protect the privacy of Massachusetts voters in accordance with the law, Secretary Galvin did not produce the records being sought. 

The DOJ filed a lawsuit against Secretary Galvin in December 2025 attempting to compel the Secretary to turn over voters' private information. Today, a federal judge dismissed the DOJ’s lawsuit, holding that the federal government failed to meet the legal requirements for obtaining the state’s voter registration list, including providing a reasonable explanation for the basis and purpose of its demand. 

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