District Judge Zahid Quraishi blocked the Justice Department from getting New Jersey’s unredacted voter rolls on Wednesday in the DOJ voter rolls lawsuit. He ruled that handing over the records could raise privacy concerns and that Title III of the Civil Rights Act does not extend to New Jersey’s computerized VRL.
Zahid Quraishi and Title III
Quraishi wrote that Title III applies only to records that come into election officers’ possession. In his ruling, he said: “The plain text of Title III applies only to records ‘which come into’ election officers’ ‘possession’ and thus does not extend to New Jersey’s computerized VRL [voter registration list] - a document the State itself created,”
That reading stopped the Justice Department’s access request at the court level for now. It also left New Jersey’s unredacted voter-registration data in state hands while the dispute over what federal law reaches continued.
Mikie Sherrill and New Jersey
The ruling landed as Mikie Sherrill said a serious software error led to the mistaken registration of roughly 6,600 noncitizens through the state’s Motor Vehicle System. She said she immediately ordered an investigation after the error was discovered, and said the state’s Division of Elections is removing ineligible voters from the rolls.
Sherrill said fewer than 400 of the improperly registered noncitizens cast ballots. Reports also surfaced this week that roughly 75,000 noncitizens had been summoned for jury duty through state databases, adding to the scrutiny around New Jersey’s records.
Justice Department and New Jersey
The Justice Department sued Utah, Oklahoma, Kentucky, West Virginia, and New Jersey earlier this year for access to their voter rolls. The administration argued that Title III of the Civil Rights Act gave federal authorities access to the lists, but Quraishi rejected that position for New Jersey’s computerized voter-registration list.
Andy Kim said, “In New Jersey, we absolutely need to have accountability for what happened,” and added, “It was just horrible. There was a big problem with that computer problem that they had. We need to try to address that going forward.” The fight now sits between a federal request for statewide records and a state process already removing ineligible voters, with the judge’s ruling keeping the unredacted rolls sealed unless the court changes course.
