WASHINGTON (7News) — A federal judge in Maryland tossed out a Justice Department lawsuit seeking the state’s unredacted voter rolls, according to a court ruling on Monday.
The judge’s decision marks the ninth time a federal court ruled against the Trump administration and its efforts to obtain unredacted voter rolls from over two dozen states that refused, with some critics voicing concerns over how said data would be used.
Lawyers for the administration sued, arguing that the state violated the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, and Title III of the Civil Rights Act.
Much like those other dismissed cases, the Maryland judge said the Trump administration’s law allows for the Justice Department to ask for voter-related documentation that state leaders “come into possession of.” Because the state builds its voter registration lists on its own and does not acquire them from an outside source, the voter registration list does not meet the requirement for the Trump administration order, according to court documents.
“With today’s ruling, Maryland’s federal court has added its voice to the unanimous chorus of judges who have said states do not have to follow the Trump Administration’s demand to turn over their unredacted voter registration databases,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a statement. “These databases contain the names, addresses, and Social Security numbers of millions of Marylanders, sensitive personal information that Marylanders have a right to keep private.”
The judge also said in their ruling that it would be difficult and illegal to provide a list to the Justice Department because the lists are required by law to be constantly updated.
The Trump administration sued 29 jurisdictions for complete access to voter rolls. So far, all have been dismissed.
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