Santa Ana, California — A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the US Department of Justice against the state of California seeking detailed voting records and personal data on its 23 million residents. Registered votersHe concluded that the government’s request was “unprecedented and illegal.”
Trump administration A lawsuit was filed last yearalleged that California and other states were illegally obstructing the federal government Large-scale effort To scrutinize detailed voter data that states said was private and protected.
US District Judge David O. Carter in Santa Ana in his 33-page decision said the administration “may not unilaterally usurp authority over elections.”
Moreover, the attempt to collect and centralize personal information would have a chilling effect on voter registration and threaten “the right to vote that is the cornerstone of American democracy,” the judge ruled.
“There cannot be unbridled consolidation of all electoral powers in the executive branch without action of Congress,” Carter said. He added: “This contradicts the promise to hold fair and free elections.”
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to an email request for comment.
The states were accused of failing to adequately respond to questions about the measures they are taking to maintain voter lists. The department filed a lawsuit against 23 statesmost of which are controlled by Democrats, and the District of Columbia to obtain detailed voter data that includes names, dates of birth, residential addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.
State election officials have wondered what the Justice Department plans to do with this information. Last fall, ten Democratic secretaries of state wrote Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem To express concern Because of reports that the Department of Justice was sharing state voter data with the Department of Homeland Security.
USCIS, part of the Department of Homeland Security, runs a citizenship verification program.
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, the state’s top elections official, said in a statement that California “will continue to challenge this administration’s disregard for the rule of law and our right to vote.”