Must Vermont give the Justice Department its full voter list?
The judge dismissed the case and denied the motion to compel, holding the 1960 law does not cover the voter list. The United States has appealed.
The United States asks the court to order Vermont to produce its voter list
Filed with the complaint, the motion argued the 1960 law entitles the Attorney General to the list through a quick special proceeding.
It answered all three oppositions and later pointed the court to rulings it said supported compelling the records.
The Secretary, the Alliance group, and VPIRG each opposed an order forcing Vermont to hand over the list.
The Alliance group answered the government's supplemental authority on the motion to compel.
The Secretary and the intervenors ask the court to dismiss the case
They argued the 1960 law does not cover the voter list, allows only inspection, and the demand gave no basis. VPIRG first got leave to file.
It filed one opposition to all three motions, defending its reading of the 1960 law and its demand letter.
Each defendant replied; Maryland and other states filed a brief supporting dismissal.
From April to August 2026 the Alliance group filed notices of other courts' rulings rejecting similar voter-list demands.
- Docket entry 67 (opens the public source in a new tab)
- Docket entry 72 (opens the public source in a new tab)
- Docket entry 74 (opens the public source in a new tab)
- Docket entry 78 (opens the public source in a new tab)
- Docket entry 80 (opens the public source in a new tab)
- Docket entry 82 (opens the public source in a new tab)
- Docket entry 83 (opens the public source in a new tab)
- Docket entry 85 (opens the public source in a new tab)
- Docket entry 86 (opens the public source in a new tab)
- Docket entry 87 (opens the public source in a new tab)
- Docket entry 88 (opens the public source in a new tab)
- Docket entry 89 (opens the public source in a new tab)
- Docket entry 90 (opens the public source in a new tab)
The government answered the Alliance group's notices, pointing to Sixth Circuit judges who read the 1960 law its way.
- Docket entry 69 (opens the public source in a new tab)
- Docket entry 73 (opens the public source in a new tab)
- Docket entry 75 (opens the public source in a new tab)
- Docket entry 79 (opens the public source in a new tab)
- Docket entry 81 (opens the public source in a new tab)
- Docket entry 84 (opens the public source in a new tab)
- Docket entry 92 (opens the public source in a new tab)
After an April 14 hearing, the court held the 1960 law does not cover the voter list and the demand fell short anyway. It denied the motion to compel.
The United States asks the Second Circuit to reverse the dismissal
It appealed the judgment, the dismissal order, and the denial of its motion to compel to the Second Circuit.
Next step: Second Circuit takes up the appeal
Should voter groups join the case as defendants?Yes: both groups joined ·
The court let the Vermont Alliance for Retired Americans with two voters, and separately VPIRG, join as defendants; no one opposed.
Retirees, voters, and VPIRG ask to join as defendants
The Vermont Alliance for Retired Americans, Richard Monterosso, and Mary Andrews asked to join as defendants; the government took no position.
The Vermont Public Interest Research Group filed an unopposed motion to join on behalf of itself and its members.
With no opposition filed, the court allowed both groups to intervene under the permissive-intervention rule.