Federal Judge Dismisses DOJ's Voter Data Request Against Arizona A federal judge in Phoenix ruled Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Arizona for access to the state’s detailed voter records was invalid, marking another significant legal defeat for the Trump administration’s nationwide effort to obtain such data. U.S. District Judge Susan Brnovich, a Trump appointee, concluded that Arizona’s statewide voter registration list is not a document subject to federal legal requests under existing statutes. The judge dismissed the case with prejudice, stating that any attempt to amend the lawsuit would be “legally futile.” The dismissal follows a series of similar rulings against the DOJ in other states. The department has sued at least 30 states and the District of Columbia to compel the release of detailed voter information, including dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers. However, judges in Rhode Island, California, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Oregon have already rejected these requests. In Georgia, a judge dismissed the DOJ’s lawsuit due to a procedural error, prompting the government to refile the case elsewhere. The DOJ’s lawsuit against Arizona targeted Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, who was accused of failing to comply with the department’s request for the detailed voter data. Fontes responded by calling the demand a violation of voter privacy, stating, “I will never comply with illegal requests that put Arizona voters in harms way.” The DOJ has not yet issued a public statement addressing the ruling. Federal officials argue that the voter data is necessary to ensure compliance with federal election laws, particularly regarding the maintenance of accurate voter registration lists.#arizona #us_department_of_justice #rhode_island #susan_brnovich #adrian_fontes
