Vermont

Vermont argues that Trump administration provided no factual basis for voter data request – VTDigger

Published

5 days ago

April 14, 2026

Vermont argues that Trump administration provided no factual basis for voter data request – VTDigger

Voters fill out their ballots in Middlebury in Nov. 2024. File photo by Caleb Kenna/VTDigger

RUTLAND CITY — Vermont argued in federal court Tuesday that the Trump administration’s lawsuit demanding the state’s voter roll data should be dismissed because the administration has not provided a sufficient reason for its request.

The Trump administration sued Vermont’s secretary of state, among many other states, last year after she refused the department’s demand to turn over voter data, including voters’ addresses, drivers license numbers and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.

Following the hearing, Federal Judge Mary Kay Lanthier will issue a ruling to dismiss or move forward with the case.

Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas said she had grounds to deny the request because Vermont Law barred the state and local government officials from sharing personally identifying voter data with federal agencies.

Copeland Hanzas said in an interview before the hearing that the Trump administration’s requests for states’ unredacted voter rolls undermines public trust in elections and points to broader concerns with privacy rights.

“We don’t want the federal government to have that level of information about individual Vermonters,” Copeland Hanzas said.

The state of Vermont’s lawyer Samuel Stratton, representing Copeland Hanzas, argued the case should be dismissed because the Department of Justice did not provide a factual basis and purpose for the request and therefore does not comply with the Civil Rights Act.

“We are proud to defend Secretary Copeland Hanzas in this case, and we will continue working to protect our elections from federal interference,” the Attorney General Charity Clark wrote in a Tuesday statement.

The Department of Justice attorney Brittany Bennett argued that the federal government has broad authority under the Civil Rights Act to seek voter data in order to determine whether the state of Vermont’s elections are in compliance with federal law.

The hearing comes after judges recently dismissed similar cases in California, Michigan, Oregon and Massachusetts. A federal judge in Massachusetts dismissed the case last week, asserting that the department failed to comply with Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 by not sharing in detail how the department will use voter information.

The Department of Justice has brought similar lawsuits against 30 states for withholding voter rolls, while 12 states have complied or said they would comply with the Justice Department’s request, according to a tracker run by the Brennan Center for Justice.

“We certainly hope and expect that the outcome of ours will be similar to what’s happened with the states that have gone before us,” Copeland Hanzas said. “But if the motion to dismiss isn’t approved, then we will continue to fight, and we will have our day in court.”

Disclosure: VTDigger reporter Greta Solsaa worked in summer 2022 as a paid canvasser for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, which filed several motions in the case.

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Related Topics:Election Featured Sarah Copeland-Hanzas voter registration

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Vermont

Wrong-way driver stopped on I-89, charged with DUI

Published

7 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Wrong-way driver stopped on I-89, charged with DUI

BOLTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A wrong-way driver was safely stopped on Interstate 89 overnight Sunday.

Vermont State Police say just before 12:30 a.m., they stopped the car near marker 77, near Bolton.

The driver, Denise Lear, 60, of Revere, was charged with driving under the influence and gross negligent operation.

Lear is expected in court Monday.

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Vermont

Women’s Lacrosse Bested in Burlington by Vermont – University at Albany Great Danes

Published

19 hours ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Women’s Lacrosse Bested in Burlington by Vermont – University at Albany Great Danes

Score: UAlbany 4, Vermont 14

Location: Virtue Field | Burlington, Vt.

Records: UAlbany (10-5, 5-1 America East) | Vermont (8-6, 4-1 America East)

Short Story: UAlbany women’s lacrosse fell to the Vermont Catamounts on Saturday afternoon.

Key Stats

Grace Cincebox recorded a total of 14 saves with 13 goals allowed for a .565 save percentage.

Ravan Marsell led the Great Danes with two points on one goal and one assist.

Four different UAlbany players scored in the contest.

Reggie Williams was the team’s leader with three ground balls.

Delilah Mile caused a team high three turnovers.

How It Happened

The Catamounts came out of the gates hard and heavy, scoring all three goals between both sides in the first quarter.

Vermont would take an 8-0 lead in the second quarter before Amanda Williamson found the back of the net on a women-down goal to put the Great Danes on the board and make it 8-1.

The Great Danes would allow one more goal in the first half to trail 9-1 after 30-minutes of play.

Grace Cincebox would enter the half with 10 saves.

Riley Forthofer started the Great Danes off in the second half to make it a 9-2 game, before Vermont put up three more goals to take a 12-2 lead entering the final quarter of play.

Mya Carroll and Ravan Marsell both scored on back-to-back free-position goals to make it a 12-4 game.

The Catamounts finished the game with two more goals to take the win 14-4.

Up Next
The Great Danes will next have a bye week and wait to see the outcome of next week’s Vermont vs UMass Lowell game to see who will host the America East Tournament.

Social Central: Stay up to date with UAlbany women’s lacrosse by following the team on Instagram (@UAlbanyWLax), Facebook (UAlbany Women’s Lacrosse), and X (@UAlbanyWLax) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the year.

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Vermont

Vermont lands two cities in America’s top 15 happiest list

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Vermont lands two cities in America’s top 15 happiest list

Is creativity the missing key to better health?

Research suggests creative activities like art, music and crafts may benefit mental health as much as other key health habits.

Here’s another reason Vermont is the best New England state: It’s home to one of the top 5 happiest cities in the United States.

Plus, it has another within the top 15.

Massachusetts, on the other hand, doesn’t even break the top 50. Nor, does Connecticut or Rhode Island.

The personal finance website analyzed 182 of the largest cities in the country, and ranked Boston 63rd overall. Although the city is home to some of the nation’s top universities, high-ranking hospitals, and well-regarded companies, it didn’t break the top 50.

To get the rankings, WalletHub compared the cities using 29 metrics, including life-satisfaction index, depression rate, poverty rate, job security, and acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, and cities were assigned an overall happiness score.

Here’s a look at how the cities ranked.

South Burlington is No. 4 happiest city, Burlington is No. 11

South Burlington came on top for Vermont in WalletHub’s list of the happiest cities in the United States, ranking at No. 4. In scored very high for emotional and physical well-being coming in at the No. 4 spot, which made up for coming in No. 48 for community and environment. It was No. 9 for income and employment ranking. That gave it a total happiness of score of 70.15

Burlington wasn’t far behind at all, taking the No. 11 spot on the list and a happiness score of 67.54. It’s highest score was for income and employment ranking where it came second. It ranked No. 13 for community and environment and No. 21 for emotional and physical well-being.