Federal judge blocks DOJ demand for Rhode Island voter data

A federal judge Friday dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit demanding that Rhode Island provide detailed voter registration data, ruling that federal law does not permit such a demand. U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy sided with election officials and civil rights advocates, finding that the Justice Department was conducting what amounted to a “fishing expedition.”

The ruling represents a significant setback for the Justice Department’s nationwide push to access detailed voter information, with courts in California, Massachusetts, Michigan and Oregon having reached similar conclusions. The disputes center on whether federal law permits such broad data requests and whether they comply with state and federal privacy protections.

The Decision

McElroy’s decision follows an earlier rejection by a federal judge in Oregon, which found that the Justice Department had failed to establish a legal basis for the data requests. In her ruling, McElroy stated: “Absent from the demand are any factual allegations suggesting that Rhode Island may be violating the list maintenance requirements.”

The Justice Department said it would not comment on the ongoing litigation.

The Government’s Rationale

Federal officials have asserted that access to voter registration information—including dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers—is necessary to ensure election security. Democratic-aligned officials and some Republicans, along with civil rights groups, have opposed the requests, contending they violate state and federal privacy laws.

Secondary Use Concerns

Election officials have expressed concern that the sensitive voter data could be repurposed for other government functions. Those worries crystallized when DOJ attorneys acknowledged in court that the department intended to share unredacted voter information with the Department of Homeland Security for citizenship verification.

“The executive branch seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states,” Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore said in a statement. “But the power of our democratic republic, built on three coequal branches of government, is clearer than ever before.”

A Pattern of Setbacks

The Rhode Island ruling is one of several federal court setbacks for the Justice Department’s nationwide push for voter data. Judges have rejected similar DOJ lawsuits in California, Massachusetts, Michigan and Oregon. In Georgia, a judge dismissed the DOJ’s lawsuit on jurisdictional grounds, leading the department to refile the case elsewhere.

The DOJ has sued at least 30 states and the District of Columbia seeking access to detailed voter registration information. At least 12 states have either provided or agreed to provide their voter data to the federal government: Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.