NAACP Steps in to Protect New Jersey Voter Records from Improper DOJ Access

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2026
Contact: Chyna Fields, [email protected]

NEWARK - The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey granted a motion to intervene for the NAACP and a coalition of civil rights and advocacy organizations to participate as defendants in United States of America v. Caldwell. The lawsuit, brought by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), demanded that the State of New Jersey turn over unredacted, sensitive voter registration records, including names, addresses, birth dates, driver's license numbers, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers.

The NAACP and other intervenors arguethat the government seeks to weaponize the data by identifying certain categories of voters - mainly immigrants, people of color, and people with past criminal convictions - to challenge their right to vote. They contend that combining state and federal databases presents a serious risk of wrongly flagging legitimate voters who already face significant structural barriers to voting and civic life, including those who are vulnerable to unconstitutional or erroneous immigration enforcement in the current climate.

"The actions of this administration have nothing to do with preventing non-citizens from voting and everything to do with voter suppression," said Anthony P. Ashton, NAACP Senior Associate General Counsel. "Gathering sensitive voter registration information from voters in New Jersey, and across the country, is part of a larger scheme to intimidate, discourage, and disenfranchise lawfully registered voters. We will continue to fight this administration's attempts to undermine elections in our country."

The successful motion was filed by the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice and Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, P.C., on behalf of the coalition and one impacted individual.

NAACP along with NAACP New Jersey State Conference, Salvation and Social Justice, AAPI New Jersey, Returning Citizens Support Group, Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey, Garden State Bar Association, New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association, People's Organization for Progress and Edwin Ortiz argue that turning over the voter rolls would pose significant privacy risks to communities that have historically faced racial discrimination and disproportionate surveillance by the government and law enforcement - and would likely deter people from registering to vote and erode trust in the voting process.

"We are gratified by the court's decision to allow us to intervene in this case with our partners to stop the Trump Administration's national effort to centralize control over election administration - a responsibility the Constitution expressly assigns to the states," said Ryan Haygood, President & CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. "With today's decision, we can be assured the Court will hear directly from the very communities whose privacy and voting rights are at stake in this case."

While 12 other states have complied with the DOJ's request for voter records, most have refused. The NAACP has been at the forefront of legal efforts to protect voter data and oppose federal overreach into state-run elections.This case is part of the Association's ongoing efforts to fight the DOJ's attempts to compel states to release sensitive voter data. The Association has taken legal action across this country, including in Georgia, California, Utah, and Michigan, to prevent the DOJ from improperly accessing and misusing voter information.

To view the Motion to Intervene, filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, click here.

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About NAACP

The NAACP advocates, agitates, and litigates for the civil rights due to Black America. Our legacy is built on the foundation of grassroots activism by the biggest civil rights pioneers of the 20th century and is sustained by 21st century activists. From classrooms and courtrooms to city halls and Congress, our network of members across the country works to secure the social and political power that will end race-based discrimination. That work is rooted in racial equity, civic engagement, and supportive policies and institutions for all marginalized people. We are committed to a world without racism where Black people enjoy equitable opportunities in thriving communities.

NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund - also referred to as the NAACP-LDF - was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but now operates as a completely separate entity.