A federal judge has dismissed the Department of Justice’s lawsuit seeking Arizona’s unredacted voter rolls. This ruling represents a significant legal defeat for the DOJ in its efforts to access state voter data.
The ruling came early Tuesday from U.S. District Judge Susan Brnovich, who was appointed by President Donald Trump. The court dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled.
Fontes stated that the ruling is a win for voter privacy. He emphasized that he would never comply with illegal requests that jeopardize Arizona voters’ safety.
The DOJ has faced challenges in similar cases across the country. It has lost six lawsuits aimed at obtaining states’ voter rolls, including recent dismissals in California, Oregon, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
The DOJ originally sued Arizona in January after the state refused to provide detailed voter information. This included sensitive personal data such as birthdates, addresses, and Social Security numbers.
The court concluded that Arizona’s statewide voter registration list is not subject to request by the Attorney General under the Civil Rights Act of 1960. The DOJ’s legal theory was rejected as it relied on a provision requiring states to provide certain election-related records.
At least 13 states have either provided or promised to provide their detailed voter registration lists to the DOJ. However, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes remains firm in his stance against such requests.
The next steps for the DOJ remain uncertain as they continue their broader efforts across multiple states. The department has sued at least 30 states and the District of Columbia seeking to force release of detailed voter data.
