Filed Date: Feb. 26, 2026
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding complete
This was a federal election administration case concerning efforts by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to obtain state voter-registration records as part of its enforcement of federal voting laws. The case raised questions about the federal government's authority to access sensitive voter-registration information, including driver's license and Social Security-related identifiers, notwithstanding state-law restrictions on disclosure.
On February 26, 2026, the United States, represented by the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, filed suit against Oklahoma Secretary of the State Election Board Paul Ziriax in his official capacity after he refused a demand to provide an unredacted copy of Oklahoma's statewide voter registration list. The records request arose from the Attorney General's December 2025 investigation into Oklahoma's compliance with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). In a February 2026 letter, Secretary Ziriax asserted that he was not legally authorized to disclose the requested information. The United States alleged that Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 entitled the Attorney General to inspect and copy the records and sought declaratory and injunctive relief requiring production of the statewide voter registration list and other election records relevant to Oklahoma's compliance with federal law.
The case was assigned to Judge Charles Goodwin. Before the court ruled on the merits, the parties entered into a settlement agreement in March 2026, under which Oklahoma agreed to provide DOJ with the requested voter-registration records, including all requested data fields. Pursuant to the settlement, the United States voluntarily dismissed the action without prejudice on March 24, 2026. Because the case was resolved through settlement, the court did not decide whether federal election-record inspection authority overrides state-law restrictions on disclosure of voter-registration information.
Summary Authors
Benjamin Glicksman (7/2/2026)
Claire Pollard (3/27/2026)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72336804/parties/united-states-v-ziriax/
Goodwin, Charles Barnes (Oklahoma)
Gardner, Christopher J (Oklahoma)
Handler, Travis (Oklahoma)
Abbuhl, Joshua Charles (Oklahoma)
Frasier, Frank W (Oklahoma)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72336804/united-states-v-ziriax/
Last updated July 21, 2026, 3:25 a.m.
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Presidential/Gubernatorial Authority
Special Collection(s):
Trump Administration 2.0: Litigation and Investigations By the Government
Key Dates
Filing Date: Feb. 26, 2026
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
United States Attorney General
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
Paul Ziriax
Defendant Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Help America Vote Act (HAVA), 52 U.S.C. § 20901 et seq (previously 42 U.S.C. § 15301 et seq)
Other Dockets:
Western District of Oklahoma 5:26-cv-00361
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: None Yet / None
Relief Sought:
Relief Granted:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Issues
Presidential/Gubernatorial Authority:
Voting:
Access to Voter Rolls / Voter Information
Case Summary of United States v. Ziriax, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/47976/ (last updated 3/27/2026).