Federal Judge in Oregon Rejects DOJ Lawsuit to Seize Voter Rolls, Calls Tactics Untrustworthy
A federal judge in Oregon on Monday rejected the U.S. Justice Department’s bid to compel the state to hand over its unredacted voter registration list, delivering a sweeping rebuke of the DOJ’s nationwide push for state voter data. The move deepens a legal crisis for the department’s strategy and raises fresh questions about its motives.
The stakes have escalated as dozens of states resist turning over full voter rolls that include sensitive personal information like birth dates and partial Social Security numbers, citing privacy and legal limits on federal authority over elections.
According to CBS News, U.S. District Judge Mustafa T. Kasubhai dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Oregon, finding that the government “never met the legal standard” needed to obtain the records. The judge said he planned to issue a full written opinion explaining his decision.
Judge Kasubhai went further, saying the DOJ “can no longer be presumed to be acting in good faith,” noting that public statements by the department undermined the usual trust courts place in federal law enforcement. He cited Attorney General Pam Bondi’s letter to Minnesota officials linking cooperation on voter rolls to federal immigration enforcement as a troubling factor.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield welcomed the ruling, saying the government never met the test for compelling the records. “The court dismissed this case because the federal government never met the legal standard to get these records,” Rayfield said in a statement.
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The decision follows similar setbacks for the DOJ in California and Georgia, where federal judges rejected demands for sensitive voter data on legal or procedural grounds. This string of rulings has fueled criticism from voter privacy and civil rights advocates who warn the DOJ’s broad data strategy could undermine trust in elections and state control over voter information.
Observers now expect the written opinion from Judge Kasubhai to shape future battles over voter data access and may prompt further legal challenges as the administration continues its nationwide efforts.
The court’s written opinion is forthcoming and could influence other cases over federal access to state voter rolls. Civil rights groups and election officials are likely to press these issues through additional litigation and public comment.
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