A federal judge in Washington ruled Thursday that the Trump administration’s program supplying federal data to states for voter‑roll checks violates multiple statutes that bar the disclosure of personal information. The decision blocks the use of the citizenship‑verification tool that states had been deploying to purge registrants deemed ineligible. Legal scholars say the ruling underscores limits on federal‑state data sharing.

The court found the agency failed to obtain required consent before distributing records that include citizenship status, a breach of the Privacy Act and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. State officials had argued the data helped clean up rolls and prevent fraud, but the judge stressed that accuracy cannot trump statutory privacy protections. The order also halts any further transfers pending appeal.

Election‑technology vendors that sell the database to counties now face uncertainty about contract performance and potential litigation costs. With the tool barred, states must rely on existing voter‑registration systems, which could slow purge operations and shift resources toward manual verification. The ruling sends a clear signal to federal agencies that any program touching personal identifiers will be scrutinized for compliance.