Federal Judge Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit Seeking Massachusetts Voter Data
A federal judge in Massachusetts has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) demanding access to the state's voter rolls. U.S. District Court Judge Leo Sorokin, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, ruled that the DOJ failed to meet statutory requirements, specifically the need for a factual statement explaining why the Attorney General demands the records. This marks at least the fifth time a court has rejected similar attempts by the Trump administration to collect detailed voter data under the guise of election security. While the DOJ claims the data is needed to verify citizenship status via the DHS SAVE program, state officials and privacy advocates argue the request violates laws and could be used to target noncitizens. The ruling represents another significant setback in the administration's wide-ranging effort to access national voter information.
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Federal Judge Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit Seeking Massachusetts Voter Data
A federal judge in Massachusetts has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) demanding access to the state's voter rolls. U.S. District Court Judge Leo Sorokin, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, ruled that the DOJ failed to meet statutory requirements, specifically the need for a factual statement explaining why the Attorney General demands the records. This marks at least the fifth time a court has rejected similar attempts by the Trump administration to collect detailed voter data under the guise of election security. While the DOJ claims the data is needed to verify citizenship status via the DHS SAVE program, state officials and privacy advocates argue the request violates laws and could be used to target noncitizens. The ruling represents another significant setback in the administration's wide-ranging effort to access national voter information.
AP News