‘No legal basis’: New Jersey governor officially rebuffs Trump DOJ demand for private voter data

By Yunior Rivas

Governor Mikie Sherrill speaks about demonstrations and law enforcement activity at Delaney Hall Immigration Detention Center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 31, 2026. Peaceful protests regarding the treatment of detainees, who are reportedly on a hunger strike, took place at the Delaney Hall Immigration Detention Facility for most of the day. The situation turned violent overnight from Saturday into Sunday morning when fires were set and property was damaged. State Police have announced that the closure will remain in effect indefinitely, and a curfew is in place from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily until further notice. Governor Sherrill has also stated that limited visitation will resume at noon on Sunday, with regular visitation hours for families of detainees to be restored starting Monday. (Photo by Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto via AP)

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) formally rejected the Trump administration’s demand for personal information about thousands of state residents mistakenly registered to vote, telling the Department of Justice Tuesday that its request has “no legal basis.”

In a letter to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, Sherrill said New Jersey would not provide the names, birthdates, nationalities, home addresses and other identifying information DOJ requested about roughly 6,600 people affected by a Motor Vehicle Commission software failure.

“With no legal basis, you requested that I provide extensive personal information about thousands of New Jersey residents. Providing this information in response to your request is limited by federal laws, including the Privacy Act, and the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act,” Sherrill wrote. “Here and always, I remain committed to protecting New Jerseyans’ personally identifying information.”

The software error occurred between June 2023 and June 2024 and registered thousands of people even though they had answered “no” when asked whether they were U.S. citizens. Fewer than 400 of those affected later voted, according to the state, which has said it has no evidence of fraud or that the error changed any election result. 

Sherrill has ordered an independent investigation and said officials are working with county election administrators to correct the records.

DOJ seized on the disclosure last week to renew its attempt to obtain New Jersey’s unredacted voter rolls. 

The department demanded extensive information about all 6,600 affected residents, along with voting records and mail-ballot signatures for those who reportedly cast ballots. It also cited the software failure as an “additional basis” for its pending lawsuit seeking the state’s complete voter registration database.

Dhillon fired back, accusing Sherrill of refusing to cooperate with federal law enforcement.

“Gov. Sherrill’s refusal to cooperate with federal law enforcement does nothing to protect law-abiding NJ voters.  NJ has a legal duty to keep ineligible voters off its rolls, & our request is grounded in that legal authority.” Dhillon wrote on social media. “DOJ will get this information through all legal means!”

Sherrill accused the Trump administration of using the state’s self-disclosed error to advance a broader voter suppression campaign and target residents who were registered through no fault of their own.

“Just as we have an obligation to remove everyone who is not eligible to vote, we also have a responsibility to protect the voting rights of eligible New Jersey citizens and ensure no one is improperly removed from the rolls,” she said. “This is what [an] accountable government looks like. We inherited a problem. We didn’t hide it. We didn’t deny it.  We’re investigating it. And we’re going to fix it, the right way.  That approach stands in stark contrast to how MAGA Republicans have responded to this issue.”

The confrontation comes as DOJ’s nationwide voter data campaign continues to falter in court. The department has sued 30 states and Washington, D.C., seeking access to sensitive voter files, but has lost 17 straight district court rulings issued so far. 

It has appealed almost all of those defeats.