Federal judges in California Michigan and Oregon dismiss DOJ voter roll lawsuits for wrong process

Federal district courts in California, Michigan, and Oregon dismiss DOJ lawsuits seeking state voter rolls, ruling that the department failed to follow the administrative procedure required by the Civil Rights Act of 1960 before filing suit, the same procedural defect that later sinks the Massachusetts case. The rulings mark a notable early setback to the DOJ's national voter data collection campaign. Judges in all three cases find that the law requires DOJ to issue a formal administrative demand and allow states a response period before any lawsuit, and that DOJ skipped that step.