United States v. Galvin

DOJ sued Massachusetts Secretary of State Galvin, seeking the state’s voter rolls, including large amounts of private voter data, such as social security numbers. DOJ’s lawsuit follows letters from DOJ seeking information about certain groups of Massachusetts voters. DOJ sent such letters to dozens of States over the summer of 2025, and then began filing lawsuits against states with Democratic administrations.

 

DOJ’s lawsuit appears to be connected to governmental efforts to create a national voter database without congressional authorization, and to question the validity of certain states’ election administration process and voter rolls, and the status of certain voters.

 

Common Cause, Jane Doe Inc., and an individual Massachusetts voter sought to intervene to defend against this potential violation of voter privacy. The voters and organizations are represented by the ACLU and the ACLU of Massachusetts. The district court allowed the parties to intervene as defendants into the suit on January 6, 2026.

 

Update: On April 9, 2026, the court dismissed DOJ's lawsuit against the State of Massachusetts. The court granted the dismissal motions filed by the State and by the ACLU and its Massachusetts affiliate on behalf of Common Cause, Jane Doe, Inc., and an individual voter.