Blanche Says the Justice Department May Take Its Voter-Roll Fight to the Supreme Court After Losing 22 Cases

Attorney General Todd Blanche said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Aug. 16 that it is "absolutely" a possibility the Justice Department will ask the Supreme Court to review the cases it has lost seeking states' voter rolls. The department sued 30 states and the District of Columbia after they refused to hand over lists including names, dates of birth, addresses, driver's license numbers and partial Social Security numbers; it has lost 22 of those cases. Blanche also declined to commit to independence from the White House: "No, I'm not going to pledge that. And no attorney general should ever pledge that."

Blanche served as the president's personal defense lawyer in the New York case that ended in 34 felony convictions and was confirmed days earlier. An attorney general publicly refusing to pledge independence cuts against the post-Watergate convention separating case decisions from White House direction. The voter-roll suits ask federal courts to expand federal authority over election administration the Constitution assigns primarily to states.

No certiorari petition had been filed as of the interview. Several states resisting the demands are Republican-led, including Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Georgia and Vermont. Blanche said the proposed "anti-weaponization" fund is "dead."