A federal judge rejects a Justice Department lawsuit seeking personal details about Rhode Island voters

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (AP) — A federal judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration seeking detailed data on voters from Rhode Island, a decision that follows similar rulings in a handful of other states.

US District Judge Mary McElroy sided with Rhode Island’s top election officials and civil rights advocates, writing that federal law does not allow the US Department of Justice “to conduct a witch-hunt of the kind it seeks here.”

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In an email response, the Justice Department said it would not comment on ongoing litigation.

McElroy’s decision is similar to other rejections issued by federal judges around the country since the Justice Department began obtaining detailed voter data from states. The information includes dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers.

Federal officials say they need voter data to ensure election security, but Democratic officials and some Republicans have objected to the requests and said such a request violates state and federal privacy laws.

“The executive branch appears to have no problem taking actions that represent clear constitutional transgressions and regularly interferes with states’ rights responsibilities,” Rhode Island Secretary of State Greg M. Amory said in a statement. “But the strength of our democratic republic, built on three equal branches of government, is more evident than ever.”

Some election officials have raised concerns that federal officials will use sensitive data for other purposes, such as searching for potential noncitizens. These concerns were raised again after Justice Department lawyers admitted in the Rhode Island case that the department was seeking unredacted information on voter rolls so it could be shared with the Department of Homeland Security to verify citizenship status.

At least 12 states have submitted or promised to submit their detailed voter registration lists to the department, according to the Brennan Center: Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department has sued at least 30 states and the District of Columbia seeking to force the release of the data. In addition to Rhode Island, judges rejected those attempts in California, Massachusetts, Michigan and Oregon. In Georgia, a judge dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit because it was filed in the wrong city, prompting the government to refile it elsewhere.

In Rhode Island, McIlroy upheld a federal judge’s decision in Oregon. That ruling said the federal government was not entitled to obtain unredacted voter registration lists that contain sensitive data, and said the Justice Department had failed to establish a basis or purpose for requesting voter records.

“There is no factual allegation in the application to suggest that Rhode Island may be violating the list maintenance requirements,” McElroy wrote.