Filed Date: Dec. 2, 2025
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding complete
This case involved a suit filed by the Attorney General of the United States against the Secretary of State for the State of Washington seeking to compel Washington’s statewide voter registration list, which includes sensitive personal information. Here are all of the DOJ Voter Data lawsuits in the Clearinghouse collection.
The U.S. Attorney General, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), claimed authority to compel the statewide voter registration list under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and the Civil Rights Act of 1960 (CRA). Both the NVRA and HAVA require States to maintain and preserve certain records and papers relating to elections that fall within the scope of Section 301 of Title III of the CRA. Section 301 of the CRA requires state election officials to “retain and preserve … all records and papers which come into [their] possession relating to any application, registration, payment of poll tax, or other act requisite to voting in such election.” Section 303 of the CRA provides that such records “shall, upon demand in writing by the Attorney General … be made available for inspection, reproduction, and copying at the principal office of such custodian by the Attorney General or his representative….”
Based on this authority, the DOJ sent a letter to the Washington Secretary of State, Steve Hobbs, on September 8, 2025, seeking information regarding Washington’s compliance with federal election law, including the state’s voter registration list and accompanying information on each registered voter: full name, date of birth, residential address, state driver’s license number, and the last four digits of the registrant’s social security number. When Secretary Hobbs declined to provide the information, citing Washington state privacy law, the DOJ brought suit against Secretary Hobbs in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington on December 2, 2025. The case was assigned to Judge S. Kate Vaughan.
In the complaint, the DOJ alleged that the CRA granted “sweeping power to obtain [the requested records.” Further, DOJ argued that if the custodian to whom the written demand is made refuses to comply, the CRA allows the DOJ to “request a Federal court to issue an order directing the officer of election to produce the demanded records.” Relying on Kennedy v. Lynd, 306 F.2d 222, 226 (5th Cir. 1962) and In re Gordon, 218 F. Supp. 826, 826-27 (S.D. Miss. 1963), the DOJ further argued that the reviewing court does not adjudicate “the factual foundation for, or the sufficiency of, the Attorney General’s ‘statement of the basis and the purpose’ contained in the written demand” or “the scope of the order to produce.”
In relief, the DOJ sought a declaration that Secretary Hobbs’s refusal violated Title III of the CRA, and an order compelling Secretary Hobbs to provide Washington’s statewide voter registration list, “with all fields.”
On December 10, 2025, Common Power, a civic engagement and voter mobilization organization in Seattle sought to intervene as a defendant “to preserve the privacy rights of its constituents, including its staff and volunteers, prevent disclosure of sensitive personal information to DOJ, and protect its own mission-critical efforts to empower communities worried about retaliation and scrutiny by the federal government.” The motion was terminated by the court without prejudice on January 13, 2026, pending proof of service of this action on Defendant Secretary Hobbs.
This case is ongoing.
Summary Authors
Madena Mustafa (2/12/2026)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71982380/parties/united-states-v-hobbs/
Neff, Eric (Washington)
Khanna, Abha (Washington)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71982380/united-states-v-hobbs/
Last updated March 4, 2026, 12:24 p.m.
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Trump Administration 2.0: Litigation and Investigations By the Government
Key Dates
Filing Date: Dec. 2, 2025
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
The United States of America
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
State
Secretary of State for the State of Washington
Defendant Type(s):
Case Details
Other Dockets:
Western District of Washington 3:25-cv-06078
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: None Yet / None
Relief Sought:
Relief Granted:
Source of Relief:
Issues
Voting: