In brief
U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai ruled against the Justice Department's request for Oregon's unredacted voter rolls, stating the federal government did not meet the necessary legal standards. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield praised the decision, emphasizing the importance of protecting citizens' personal information. The ruling continues a pattern of dismissals faced by the Justice Department in its pursuit of voter data related to compliance with federal election laws.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — In a significant blow to the Trump administration's request for detailed voter data, a federal judge in Oregon has dismissed a lawsuit from the Justice Department seeking the state's unredacted voter rolls.
During a hearing on Monday, U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai announced that he would grant Oregon's motion to dismiss the case, with a formal written opinion to follow. This decision underscores the ongoing tension between state and federal requests for sensitive voter information.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield welcomed the ruling, stating, The court dismissed this case because the federal government never met the legal standard to get these records in the first place. Oregonians deserve to know that voting laws can’t be used as a backdoor to grab their personal information.
The Justice Department did not provide comments regarding the ruling.
The lawsuit's dismissal comes amidst broader efforts by the Justice Department to obtain detailed voter information from various states, which it claims is necessary to ensure compliance with federal election laws. The department has previously faced similar challenges; a federal judge in Georgia dismissed a lawsuit on technical grounds, while another in California ruled the government’s request as unprecedented and illegal.
In a letter accompanying the lawsuit, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi made a request to Minnesota's governor, explaining the need for measures to assist immigration enforcement and implying a demand for access to voter rolls to verify compliance with federal standards. However, the push for such information has raised concerns among election officials regarding its use and potential privacy violations.
The Justice Department's aggressive pursuit of voter data, including personal information such as birth dates and Social Security numbers, has prompted widespread pushback from various states, fearing violations of privacy laws.
