By — Nicholas Riccardi, Associated Press Nicholas Riccardi, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/justice-department-urges-sanctions-for-database-analysis-critical-of-its-noncitizen-voting-claims Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Justice Department urges sanctions for database analysis critical of its noncitizen voting claims Politics Nov 1, 2026 6:18 PM EST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Sunday defended the accuracy of a list of what it says are more than 20,000 suspected noncitizens registered to vote in California and suggested that a federal judge consider whether an immigrant rights group and its lawyers should face contempt charges after they published an analysis of the names. READ MORE: Analysis: More than 40% of names on DOJ list of alleged noncitizens not on California's voter rolls On Friday, U.S. District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg allowed the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, or CHIRLA, access to federal government data on 20,000 people the Trump administration alleges are noncitizen voters in California. Boasberg, based in Washington, D.C., ordered the plaintiffs not to disclose any names on the list and use the data only…
Justice Department urges sanctions for database analysis critical of its noncitizen voting claims
In short
The Justice Department claims the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights violated protective order restrictions that limited the use of sensitive records solely to establishing legal standing without publishing identifying information. In response, representatives for the UCLA Voting Rights Project maintain they completely adhered to the court's rules while evaluating the federal records. Their analysis revealed that over 40% of the individuals on the federal list were completely absent from California's voter registry. Meanwhile, federal judges continue to block the department from compelling local election offices to segregate ballots or purge voters based on these flawed lists.
Key points
- The Justice Department is seeking court sanctions against an immigrant rights group for p…: The Justice Department is seeking court sanctions against an immigrant rights group for publishing findings critical of federal voter data.
- Independent analysis suggests the federal database contains significant errors, including…: Independent analysis suggests the federal database contains significant errors, including the improper inclusion of naturalized and native-born American citizens.
- Federal courts have repeatedly rejected government efforts to enforce voter purges due to…: Federal courts have repeatedly rejected government efforts to enforce voter purges due to the risk of disrupting upcoming elections.