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By Guy Page
On Thursday, September 17, United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier dismissed the Department of Justice (DOJ)’s lawsuit against Vermont demanding the state’s voter rolls.
The federal lawsuit stemmed from states’ opposition to a March, 2026 executive order requiring states using universal mailed ballots to turn over their voter rolls, allowing the federal government to determine their accuracy. Among the Trump administration’s concerns is the possibility of non-citizen voting. “The right to vote in Federal elections is reserved exclusively for citizens of the United States under the Constitution and Federal law. Federal statutes explicitly prohibit non-citizens from registering to vote or voting in Federal elections and impose criminal penalties for violations,” The order states.
Lanthier agreed with the Vermont Attorney General’s argument, that the statute the federal government relied on—Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960—does not authorize DOJ to demand a complete, unredacted copy of a state’s voter list. The Court also found that DOJ’s demand lacked any factual basis or lawful purpose.
Lanthier, a former Vermont Law School professor, was nominated to the federal bench by Pres. Joseph Biden in 2024, and confirmed later that year.
In response to the ruling, Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas and Attorney General Charity Clark issued the following statement: “The court made clear: The Trump Administration had no authority to demand access to the sensitive personal information of voters – including home addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security and driver’s license numbers. Vermont lawfully and correctly refused the Federal Government’s demand, and today’s ruling affirms our efforts to protect the privacy and voting rights of Vermonters from unlawful federal overreach.”
It is not clear whether the Trump administration will appeal the decision to the high court, given that the Supreme Court earlier this month ruled in favor of continuing mailed ballots for the 2026 election.
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Categories: Elections
Grasping at straws…delaying tactics to delay the inevitable is my take.
Another socialist judge is deciding whether the government should have the right to know that only legal citizens are voting. How arrogant of the government, thinking that the socialist states would lower themselves to covering up illegal voting. My my my.