{"id":4749,"date":"2026-08-14T17:38:55","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T17:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=4749"},"modified":"2026-08-14T17:38:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T17:38:55","slug":"0-for-21-trumps-losing-streak-proves-the-limits-of-his-authority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=4749","title":{"rendered":"‘0 for 21’: Trump\u2019s ‘losing streak’ proves the limits of his authority"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Over the course of his second administration, President Donald Trump\u2019s Justice Department has gone to federal court nearly two dozen times in its quest to seize state voter rolls, which many experts suggest is part of an effort to meddle with the upcoming midterms. But try as they might, his attorneys strike out every time. This \u201closing streak,\u201d writes<\/u> Casey Burgat, professor of politics and legislative affairs at George Washington University, proves that Trump doesn\u2019t have the authority that he thinks he does. <\/p>\n

Read more MAGA insiders have found an easy way to \u2018trick\u2019 Trump into doing anything<\/a><\/p>\n

As Burgat explains, \u201cOn August 6, a judge in Washington D.C., dismissed the DOJ\u2019s attempt to compel D.C.\u2019s Board of Elections to turn over its voter registration list, including sensitive information like dates of birth and driver\u2019s license numbers. That ruling gave the Trump administration a record of 0 for 21 in federal courts across the country in their quest for state-level voter databases.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Burgat, \u201c21 federal district courts have outright dismissed the DOJ\u2019s cases on the merits, meaning that judges appointed by Republican and Democratic presidents have all looked at the DOJ\u2019s claims, evidence, and legal grounding and ruled they are so lacking that they didn\u2019t need to hear any more. One of these cases has already been appealed by the DOJ, and the federal appeals court judge upheld the dismissal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burgat argues that \u201ctwenty-one losses and zero victories is incredibly telling, especially since federal access to state voter rolls has clearly been such an important campaign for the DOJ (and Trump, for that matter).\u201d As of August, with the midterms less than 100 days away, \u201c48 states have received requests from the administration for their complete voter databases. For 30 states plus Washington D.C., those requests have escalated into full lawsuits in an attempt to compel the states to hand them over. A few states \u2014 notably GOP-friendly states \u2014 voluntarily handed over their data, and Oklahoma \u2018settled\u2019 its lawsuit with the DOJ by doing so. But plenty of others, including conservative states, have outright refused.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the Trump administration claims it needs voter rolls to prevent fraud, critics say that the president is trying \u201cto prevent free and fair elections,\u201d and that the voter rolls could be used for disenfranchisement and to other nefarious ends. Others argue that it\u2019s simply a matter of privacy. As Kentucky\u2019s Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams declared, \u201cI will not voluntarily commit a data breach\u201d by handing over voter information to the DOJ. <\/p>\n

Read more Court filing unmasks anonymous White House aide quoted in ballroom lawsuit<\/a><\/p>\n

So far 21 federal courts have sided with critics, and according to Burgat, \u201cThe judges aren\u2019t contending that state voting rolls can be inaccurate, nor are they arguing that the DOJ isn\u2019t a key player in enforcing federal election laws. But they are saying that the DOJ does not have the authority to compel states to hand over protected voter information that the states themselves created.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an effort to bolster federal control over elections, Trump has been desperately pushing Republicans to pass the SAVE Act. As Burgat explains, \u201cTrump needs the law because he knows \u2014 and the lawsuit losses are reminding him \u2014 that only Congress has the constitutional authority to regulate federal elections. Only a Congress-passed bill can require states to provide voter data to D.C. or establish national voter-ID rules. Congress, so far, has proven unwilling or unable to turn Trump\u2019s demands into statute. So the administration has tried to squeeze some of that authority out of laws already on the books. Judges, however, have interpreted those statutes to mean that the power the administration seeks simply isn\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Burgat concludes, \u201cHidden beneath the DOJ\u2019s losing streak is an important reminder about federalism, especially when it comes to elections in the US. Federal elections are purposefully decentralized. State and local governments are tasked with carrying them out in adherence to the federal protections and requirements Congress has deemed necessary. As we\u2019ve seen, it can be a messy arrangement, but one that protects all of us from a federal government \u2014 and president \u2014 who wants to take over the process. And as 21 courts have reminded him, if Trump wants his executive branch to run elections, that authority can come from only one place: the United States Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Charges for new DC \u2018vandal\u2019 after Trump\u2019s Reflecting Pool witch hunt fails<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over the course of his second administration, President Donald Trump\u2019s Justice Department has gone to federal court nearly two dozen times in its quest to seize state voter rolls, which many experts suggest is part of an effort to meddle with the upcoming midterms. 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