Department of Justice
US federal law enforcement agency; voter-data programme at appellate test after 6 district court dismissals.
On 12 September, the Department of Justice opened an investigation into Nevada's election chief while pursuing voter-file appeals, extending a campaign courts had repeatedly rejected.
Last refreshed: 22 September 2026 · Appears in 7 active topics
After six dismissals, can DOJ's voter-data programme survive its first appellate test at the 9th Circuit?
Timeline for Department of Justice
Charged i-Soon contract hackers in 2025
Cybersecurity: Threats and Defences: Mentioned in: Ten agencies name Beijing firm in hacksLost its suit for Georgia's unredacted voter list
US Midterms 2026: Judge dismisses DOJ's Georgia voter suitSeized Star Blizzard domains with Microsoft
Cybersecurity: Threats and Defences: Mentioned in: Star Blizzard lures think tanks by inviteTied Byrne JAG grants to enforcement
US Midterms 2026: Mentioned in: Judge Ali voids FEMA election conditionsMentioned in: Three seized tankers near American ports
Iran Conflict 2026Background
The Department of Justice is the US federal law-enforcement and legal agency. Led by the attorney general, it brings federal criminal cases, represents the United States in court and enforces civil, competition and election laws.
Its REMIT spans prosecution and regulatory review. In May 2026, it unsealed criminal charges against Raúl Castro; in June, it cleared the Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
The Department matters because it can convert executive policy into investigations, litigation and enforcement decisions. Federal courts, state authorities and other regulators can still test, limit or displace those decisions.
The Department faces appellate resistance
On 23 July, a Kentucky court dismissal left the Department with seventeen voter-file losses and no wins; thirteen suits remained active. The recurring defect was statutory authority for its demand for unredacted state rolls, placing the programme's legal basis at the centre of its election-enforcement strategy.
On 28 July, the Department opened its New York appeal, making three federal circuits live arenas after a Sixth Circuit panel ruled against it on 24 June. Those appeals seek a precedent that could sustain the programme beyond individual district-court defeats.
The Department cleared the merger
On 12 June, the Department cleared Paramount Skydance's $110bn purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery without conditions. The decision was a direct exercise of its federal antitrust role, but it did not end scrutiny of a deal involving major US media assets.
On 20 July, a California federal judge halted the transaction in a state-led case after finding sufficient evidence to presume an antitrust violation. The contrast left the Department's unconditional clearance beside a live court challenge rather than as the final regulatory word.