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Must Maryland hand its full voter list to the Justice Department?

United States v. DeMarinis

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At a glance

The Justice Department sued Maryland's elections chief for the state's full voter list under a 1960 civil rights law. A judge dismissed the case for good in June 2026; the government's appeal is pending.

  1. What happened · 5 steps
    1. United States sues for Maryland's voter listDec 2025

      Citing a 1960 civil rights law, the Justice Department asked the court to order Maryland to hand over its full voter list.

    2. Voter groups join the defenseFeb 2026

      The court let a retirees' group, Common Cause, Out for Justice, and three Maryland voters join as defendants.

    3. Judge dismisses the case for goodJun 2026

      The court held the voter list is not a record the 1960 law makes states hand over, and refused to order it produced.

    4. United States appealsJul 2026

      The government appealed to the Fourth Circuit, which declined to speed up the appeal.

    5. Appeal fully briefedOct 2026

      Briefing ended in October, and the Fourth Circuit tentatively set argument for late January 2027.

  2. Maryland need not hand over the list

    The case is dismissed, so Maryland does not have to produce its voter list while the appeal is decided.

  3. Still open

    Whether the Fourth Circuit will uphold or reverse the dismissal.

Where it stands

Appeal briefs filed

Briefing ended with the government's reply brief · Oct 21, 2026

The appeal is fully briefed and awaits argument, tentatively set for late January 2027.

Follow what's happening

  1. Lawsuit filed

    Dec 1, 2025

    United States sues for Maryland's full voter list

  2. Case dismissed

    Jun 18, 2026

    Court grants the motions to dismiss, with prejudice

  3. Appeal to the Fourth Circuit

    Jul 6, 2026

    United States appeals the dismissal

  4. Appeal briefs filed

    Oct 21, 2026

    Briefing ended with the government's reply brief

  5. Fourth Circuit argument

    Jan 2027

    Tentatively set for the January 26–29, 2027 session

The parties

United States

Plaintiff

The federal government, through the Justice Department

Wants

Maryland's complete, unredacted voter list

Key arguments

  • The 1960 Act lets it demand the voter list

    Rejected; under appeal. Final ruling. The court held the list is made by the state, not received from voters

  • Its demand is a special, summary proceeding

    Rejected; under appeal. Final ruling. The court held the ordinary federal civil rules apply, so motions to dismiss were allowed

  • Privacy laws do not bar an unredacted copy

    Not reached. The court decided the case on another ground

Represented by

U.S. Department of Justice

DeMarinis and intervenors

Defendants

Maryland's elections chief, with voter groups and voters

Wants

Dismissal of the demand for the voter list

Key arguments

  • The voter list isn't a record the 1960 Act covers

    Accepted; under appeal. Final ruling

  • Ordinary civil rules let the court dismiss the case

    Accepted; under appeal. Final ruling

  • The demand lacked an adequate basis and purpose

    Not reached. The court decided the case on another ground

Represented by

Counsel not recorded in this snapshot

Friends of the court:

Supporting plaintiff: Maryland Election Integrity LLC and Liberty Legal Foundation

Supporting defendants: Democratic National Committee and Former U.S. Justice Department employees and Lawyers' Committee, Urban League, LULAC, Asian Law Caucus and Campaign Legal Center and Brennan Center for Justice and Local election officials and local governments and Electronic Privacy Information Center and Historians Kousser, Burton, and McCrary

Content snapshot as of .