District Judge Zahid Quraishi Blocks Department of Justice from Accessing New Jersey Voter Records
District Judge Zahid Quraishi ruled on Wednesday that the Department of Justice does not have the authority to force New Jersey to release its unredacted voter registration lists. The ruling represents a defeat for the administration, which sought to use the state's disclosure of a software error as leverage to obtain the data. The administration argued that Title III of the Civil Rights Act granted federal authorities access to the records, but Quraishi noted that the law applies only to records in the possession of election officers, not the state-created computerized list. The decision comes as New Jersey faces scrutiny over a software glitch that mistakenly registered approximately 6,600 noncitizens to vote. Governor Mikie Sherrill admitted the error and ordered an investigation into the accountability of the state's motor vehicle system. While Democrats conceded the failure was significant, they did not claim there was broader fraud. State Senator Declan O'Scanlon urged the state to halt its automatic registration system and consider federal oversight.