Filed Date: April 21, 2026
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding in progress
(This summary is temporary while we research the case.)
Common Cause and Common Cause Education Fund, along with four individual Common Cause members, filed suit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche on April 21, 2026, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The plaintiffs alleged that DOJ launched an illegal and unprecedented effort to stockpile millions of Americans' confidential voter data by demanding that nearly every state and the District of Columbia turn over their unredacted statewide voter registration lists. This sensitive personal information included Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, and political party affiliation. The plaintiffs claimed that DOJ was using this data to build a sprawling new voter surveillance and purging apparatus without statutory authorization, violating privacy laws by disclosing data to the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) unreliable SAVE system and private contractors for mass citizenship checks. The complaint included eight counts alleging violations of the Administrative Procedure Act, separation of powers, and federalism principles, seeking declaratory and injunctive relief to halt DOJ's actions and require deletion of all collected voter data.
This case is ongoing.
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73218916/parties/common-cause-v-us-department-of-justice/
Bentrott, Jane Petersen (District of Columbia)
Gilens, Naomi (District of Columbia)
Sus, Nikhel (District of Columbia)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73218916/common-cause-v-us-department-of-justice/
Last updated April 23, 2026, 8:20 a.m.
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government
Key Dates
Filing Date: April 21, 2026
Case Ongoing: Yes
Case Details
Other Dockets:
District of District of Columbia 1:26-cv-01352
Available Documents:
Case Summary of Common Cause v. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/48121/.