U.S. District Judge Hala Jarbou formally dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice today, denying the Trump administration's request to force Michigan to hand over its complete voter registration rolls. The ruling marks a significant legal defeat for the White House, which has launched similar legal actions against nearly two dozen other states in an effort to aggregate sensitive voter data.
The Justice Department had sought a court order requiring Michigan officials to disclose unredacted records, including the driver’s license numbers, dates of birth, and partial Social Security numbers of more than eight million registered voters. In her detailed twenty-three-page opinion, Judge Jarbou determined that existing federal statutes, such as the Help America Vote Act, do not grant the administration the authority to compel the release of such private information.
This decision serves as a critical setback for the administration's broader initiative to collect detailed voter data from twenty-four different jurisdictions across the country. Legal experts note that this ruling aligns with recent decisions in California and Oregon, where federal judges also rejected the Department of Justice's attempts to secure comprehensive voter files.
The administration argued that the data was necessary to conduct investigations into election integrity and to identify potential noncitizen voters on state rolls. However, the court found that interpreting the National Voter Registration Act to mandate the release of sensitive personal data would impose an unconstitutional burden on the voting rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson praised the dismissal, characterizing the lawsuit as an overreaching attempt to compromise the privacy of the state's residents. She emphasized that while the state provides public voter lists in accordance with the law, it will continue to protect confidential personal identifiers from unnecessary federal surveillance.
Privacy advocates have long warned that creating a centralized federal database of voter information could expose millions of Americans to increased risks of identity theft and data breaches. By affirming the state's right to withhold sensitive records, the court has effectively prioritized the security of individual voter data over the administration's stated investigative goals.
The ruling highlights the intensifying legal battle between state election officials and the federal government regarding the control and usage of voter information. As the Justice Department considers an appeal, the outcome in Michigan is expected to influence the remaining lawsuits currently pending in federal courts nationwide.