Filed Date: Sept. 25, 2025
Case Ongoing
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Filed on September 25, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California before District Judge John W. Holcomb, United States v. Weber is one of six coordinated enforcement actions brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, against California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. Together, these suits seek to compel state compliance with federal voter-list maintenance and disclosure requirements under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 (CRA)—an unprecedented assertion of federal authority over election-record transparency and data integrity.
The Department sued the State of California and Dr. Shirley N. Weber, in her official capacity as California Secretary of State, under the Ex parte Young doctrine. According to the complaint, in July 2025 DOJ requested that California produce an electronic copy of its Statewide Voter Registration List (SVRL)—including registrants’ names, residential addresses, dates of birth, driver’s-license numbers, and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers—along with related list-maintenance records and data on voters deemed ineligible due to non-citizenship (the Eligibility Adjudication Voter lists, or EAVs). California declined to provide the unredacted dataset, citing state privacy laws, and instead offered only limited in-person inspection. DOJ contends that this refusal, combined with irregularities in the state’s self-reported duplicate and inactive-voter data from the 2024 Election Administration and Voting Survey, violates federal laws requiring accuracy and transparency in voter registration systems.
The complaint asserts three causes of action: first, that California’s refusal to produce the requested records violates Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960, 52 U.S.C. §§ 20701–20706; second, that the state failed to maintain accurate and publicly reviewable voter rolls in violation of § 8 of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, 52 U.S.C. § 20507; and third, that it failed to maintain and provide information regarding a uniform statewide computerized voter list as required by the Help America Vote Act of 2002, 52 U.S.C. § 21083. The Department seeks declaratory relief that California’s refusal violates federal law and that any conflicting provisions of state law are preempted, as well as injunctive relief compelling the state to produce the full, unredacted SVRL and all related records. No monetary damages or attorneys’ fees are sought.
This case is ongoing.
Summary Authors
Michael Vandergriff (10/9/2025)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71452580/parties/united-states-v-shirley-weber/
Carter, David O. (California)
Bennett, Brittany E (California)
Bishop, Tyler (California)
Madduri, Lalitha D. (California)
McKusick, Walker (California)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71452580/united-states-v-shirley-weber/
Last updated Oct. 21, 2025, 1:35 p.m.
State / Territory: California
Case Type(s):
Presidential/Gubernatorial Authority
Special Collection(s):
Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government
Trump Administration 2.0: Litigation and Investigations Involving the Government
Key Dates
Filing Date: Sept. 25, 2025
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
State of California, and the California Secretary of State.
Plaintiff Type(s):
U.S. Dept of Justice plaintiff
Public Interest Lawyer: No
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Dr. Shirley N. Weber, Secretary of State, State
Defendant Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Civil Rights Act of 1957/1960, 52 U.S.C. § 10101 (previously 42 U.S.C. § 1971)
Help America Vote Act (HAVA), 52 U.S.C. § 20901 et seq (previously 42 U.S.C. § 15301 et seq)
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: None Yet / None
Nature of Relief:
Source of Relief:
Issues
Voting: