US judge rules Justice Department policy of collecting state voter rolls unlawful
In short
A US federal judge ruled that the Justice Department's policy of collecting states' unredacted voter rolls to check them against a federal immigration database was unlawful. US district judge Sparkle Sooknanan said the policy violated privacy laws, risked disenfranchising voters and was beyond the department's authority, according to The Guardian. Bloomberg reported that the ruling blocked a key component of the Trump administration's nationwide probe into alleged election fraud by non-US citizens.
Read the full story 2 min read
A federal judge ruled on Friday that the US Justice Department's policy of collecting states' unredacted voter rolls to check them against a federal immigration database was unlawful, The Guardian US reported. Reuters also reported that a US judge ruled the department's use of voter rolls unlawful. Bloomberg reported that the judge blocked a key component of the Justice Department's efforts under the Trump administration to obtain state voter records as part of a nationwide probe into alleged election fraud by non-US citizens. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The ruling, by US district judge Sparkle Sooknanan, was a setback for Donald Trump, who has pushed his administration to ramp up investigations into non-citizen voting ahead of the November midterm elections, with control of Congress at stake, according to The Guardian. [ 3 ]
Sooknanan said the department's list maintenance policy, adopted to comply with the president's election integrity executive order, violated privacy laws and risked disenfranchising voters. "The Court vacates a policy that has removed United States citizens from the voter rolls in their home states and risks disenfranchising many more–a policy that flies in the face of duly enacted laws designed to protect Americans," she wrote in the 78-page ruling. [ 3 ]
The judge said the policy not only violated federal laws, but that the Justice Department did not have the authority to enact it because Congress gave states, not the government, control over maintenance of their voter rolls. "Behind all the window dressing, the challenged policy represents the federal government's attempt to decide who gets to vote," Sooknanan wrote. "But Congress has left that authority where our Constitution has always placed it: with the states." [ 3 ]
Sooknanan wrote that her ruling "does not prevent the federal government from taking lawful steps to support states' efforts to maintain accurate voter rolls" and did not prevent states from maintaining their own. She previously ruled against the administration in June, limiting its ability to create a database of Americans' information; the US Supreme Court later temporarily set aside that decision. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment, The Guardian reported. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The Guardian described the ruling as a setback for Donald Trump, who has pushed his administration to ramp up investigations into non-citizen voting ahead of the November midterm elections, with control of Congress at stake. The judge wrote that Congress left authority over voter roll maintenance with the states.
Key facts
- A US judge ruled the Justice Department's use of state voter rolls unlawful. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The ruling was issued by US district judge Sparkle Sooknanan in a 78-page decision. [ 3 ]
- The policy involved collecting states' unredacted voter rolls and checking them against a federal immigration database. [ 3 ]
- Bloomberg reported the judge blocked a key component of the Justice Department's efforts to obtain state voter records in a nationwide probe into alleged election fraud by non-US citizens. [ 2 ]
- Sooknanan said the policy violated privacy laws and risked disenfranchising voters. [ 3 ]
- The judge wrote that the ruling does not prevent the federal government from taking lawful steps to support states' efforts to maintain accurate voter rolls. [ 3 ]
- Sooknanan previously ruled against the administration in June; the US Supreme Court later temporarily set aside that decision. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The Justice Department's response to the ruling The Guardian reported that the department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
- How many US citizens were removed from voter rolls under the policy The judge wrote that the policy has removed US citizens from voter rolls, but no document gives a number.
- Whether the administration will challenge the ruling No document reports any plan to appeal.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Reuters reports that a US judge ruled the Justice Department's use of voter rolls unlawful. [ 1 ]
- Bloomberg reports that a US judge blocked a key component of the Justice Department's efforts to obtain state voter records. [ 2 ]
- The Guardian US reports details of Judge Sparkle Sooknanan's 78-page ruling. [ 3 ]