Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration Bid to Access California Voter Data

By Blessing Nweke

A federal judge on Thursday delivered a major legal setback to the Trump administration’s effort to obtain sensitive voter data from states, dismissing a Justice Department lawsuit seeking access to California’s voter files.

In a 33 page ruling, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter in California rejected the administration’s bid to force the Democratic-led state to turn over voter registration records, including highly sensitive information such as Social Security numbers and driver’s license details. The lawsuit, filed in September, was part of a broader Justice Department push against California and 22 other states, along with Washington, D.C., that have refused to provide the federal government with their voter data.

At the time the case was filed, Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the lawsuits as necessary to protect election integrity, saying, “Clean voter rolls are the foundation of free and fair elections,” and warning that states failing to meet that responsibility would face legal action.

Judge Carter, a Clinton appointee, sharply criticized the administration’s approach, writing that the request “threatens the right to vote which is the cornerstone of American democracy.” He said the Justice Department was attempting to use civil rights laws enacted for different purposes to collect and centralize an “unprecedented amount of confidential voter data.”

Such centralization, Carter warned, could have a chilling effect on voter registration, discouraging participation as voters fear their personal information could be misused or unlawfully accessed, ultimately leading to lower turnout.

Civil liberties groups involved in the case, including the American Civil Liberties Union, welcomed the decision. In a joint statement, they said the court had properly recognized the importance of protecting voters’ sensitive personal information and rejected what they called illegal federal overreach.

“Voters should never have to choose between their privacy and their fundamental right to vote,” the groups said, adding that the ruling affirms the federal government is not entitled to unrestricted access to private voter data.

The setback follows similar trouble for the administration elsewhere. In Oregon, a federal judge said Wednesday he is tentatively planning to dismiss a parallel Justice Department lawsuit, with a final written decision expected soon.