Trump Mail Voting Citizenship List Challenge
Electronic Privacy Information Center v. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, et al.
A pro-voting lawsuit challenging the creation of a federal citizenship list in furtherance of Trump’s anti-mail voting executive order.
Background
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) state citizenship lists and federal portal created to implement President Donald Trump’s anti-mail voting executive order (EO). Plaintiffs assert DHS, the Social Security Administration, and the Department of State disclosed “hundreds of millions of Americans'” sensitive personal information to state election officials through a new online portal housed at DHS to create state citizenship lists to provide to state election officials before a federal election. Plaintiffs argue these actions violate the Administrative Procedure Act and U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit seeks to block implementation of the citizenship lists and federal portal.
Why It Matters
This lawsuit challenges part of Trump’s second executive order attempting to take control of federal elections to disenfranchise voters. Courts have consistently ruled that only Congress and the states – not the president – have authority over elections. Despite this, Trump is attempting to create state citizenship lists using “unreliable, outdated, and incomplete” data uploaded into the SAVE database for “mass citizenship checks,” EPIC argues. The complaint asserts that the state citizenship lists will particularly harm older, overseas, and women voters.
Latest Updates
- Oct. 2, 2026: Plaintiffs filed brief in support of its motion for partial summary judgment.
- Oct. 2, 2026: DOJ filed its supplemental brief in opposition to plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment.
- Sept. 25, 2026: The court held a hearing on plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment.
- Sept. 17, 2026: Plaintiffs filed their reply in support of their motion for summary judgment.
- Sept. 10, 2026: DOJ filed their opposition to plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment.
- Sept. 6, 2026: Plaintiffs filed their opposition to defendants’ motion for reconsideration.
- Sept. 4, 2026: The court ordered an expedited timeline. The Trump administration filed a motion for reconsideration.
- Sept. 3, 2026: Plaintiffs filed a motion for summary judgment and a motion to expedite proceedings.
- Aug. 31, 2026: Plaintiffs filed their complaint.