Judge Dismisses DOJ Suit Seeking Michigan Voter Roll Data
Judge Hala Jarbou ruled federal statutes do not require Michigan to hand over unredacted voter registration lists for over 8 million voters.
Overview
U.S. District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou issued a 23-page order Tuesday dismissing the Department of Justice lawsuit seeking unredacted voter registration lists from Michigan, saying cited federal laws do not compel disclosure, according to court documents.
The DOJ had requested full names, birth dates, addresses and driver’s license numbers or partial Social Security numbers for Michigan’s more than 8 million registered voters in a July letter, arguing the records were needed to verify roll maintenance, records show.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson asked the court to dismiss the suit and said releasing unredacted data would violate state and federal privacy protections, and Benson said in a statement that Tuesday’s decision affirmed that the law was on the state's side.
The Justice Department has sued at least 23 states and the District of Columbia seeking voter data and has secured full or partial records from at least 11 states, according to court records and the Brennan Center for Justice, marking broad but uneven litigation nationwide.
The DOJ could appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the ruling follows similar dismissals in Oregon and California that the department has not yet appealed, leaving the future of the administration’s nationwide data requests uncertain.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as a pattern of judicial rebukes to federal efforts, foregrounding court rulings and privacy concerns. They use evaluative verbs such as rebuffed and tossed out, emphasize repeated dismissals across states and note the judge’s Trump appointment, while still presenting DOJ’s election-security rationale.
Sources (8)
FAQ
The DOJ requested full names, birth dates, addresses, driver’s license numbers, or partial Social Security numbers for over 8 million registered voters.[1]
Judge Jarbou ruled that federal statutes including the Help America Vote Act, National Voter Registration Act, and Civil Rights Act do not require Michigan to disclose unredacted voter registration lists.[1]
Judge Hala Y. Jarbou is the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, appointed to the federal bench by President Trump in his first term.
The DOJ has sued at least 23-24 states and the District of Columbia; at least 11 states have provided full or partial records, while suits were dismissed in Michigan, Oregon, and California.[1]
The DOJ argues the records are needed to verify states are maintaining accurate voter rolls, removing ineligible voters, and complying with federal requirements to prevent fraud in federal elections.
History
5 sources