Federal judge dismisses DOJ bid for detailed California voter data

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A federal judge in Santa Ana, California, dismissed a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit aimed at obtaining detailed voting records and personal data from the state’s registered voters, concluding that the government’s request was “unprecedented and illegal.” The suit, filed by the Trump administration, sought access to records that would allow the federal government to scrutinize detailed voter information that California and other states have said is private and protected.

In a 33-page decision, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter wrote that the administration “may not unilaterally usurp the authority over elections” and said the government’s bid to gather and centralize personal information would chill voter registration. Carter added that the attempt would threaten “the right to vote which is the cornerstone of American democracy,” according to the ruling.

Carter also tied the case to constitutional limits on federal authority over elections. “There cannot be unbridled consolidation of all elections power in the executive (branch) without action from Congress,” he said, describing that consolidation as “antithetical to the promise of fair and free elections.”

The Justice Department had accused states of failing to provide sufficient answers about the procedures they use to maintain voter rolls. In addition to California, the department has sued 23 states and the District of Columbia for detailed voter data that, the lawsuit says is needed for federal scrutiny.

The Justice Department’s requested information includes voter names, dates of birth, residential addresses, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers for California’s 23 million registered voters. State election officials have questioned what the federal government planned to do with the data and whether it would be shared beyond DOJ.

Last fall, 10 Democratic secretaries of state wrote Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to express concerns about reports that DOJ was sharing state voter data with the Department of Homeland Security. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of DHS, operates a program that checks citizenship status.

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, the state’s chief elections officer, said in a statement that California would “continue to challenge this administration’s disregard for the rule of law and our right to vote.” The DOJ did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.