Judge Trenga Denies Federal Defendants' Motion to Clarify the CDLIS Injunction, Calling Its Scope "Clear on Its Face"

On 10/02/26 Judge Trenga denied the Federal Defendants’ Expedited Motion for Clarification of the preliminary injunction in Illinois v. DOT, filed 09/25/26. The motion asked the court to clarify the injunction “with respect to the Federal Government’s exercise of legal authorities not at issue in this case.” The order held that the injunction’s scope “is clear on its face with respect to the transfer of the files constituting the Data Demand,” and said that a federal officer or agency unsure whether a contemplated action would violate the order could bring that concern to the court for a ruling.

The order does not mention the DHS subpoena. The notice of appeal that followed names this order among those appealed: 2026-10-08–doj-appeals-cdlis-preliminary-injunction-to-fourth-circuit. The injunction itself is at 2026-09-17–judge-trenga-enjoins-aamva-from-transferring-state-cdlis-records-to-any-federal-agency. The DHS motion on the subpoena’s abeyance, filed the same day as the motion to clarify, is at 2026-09-25–dhs-moves-to-lift-abeyance-and-decide-states-motion-to-quash-aamva-subpoena.