CINCINNATI — A U.S. federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected an effort by President Donald Trump's administration to compel Michigan to provide unredacted voter registration records containing sensitive personal information, marking the first appellate-level ruling against the administration's broader campaign to obtain voter-roll data from states across the country.
In a 2-1 decision, the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that blocked the U.S. Department of Justice from obtaining Michigan's confidential voter records. The administration had argued that access to the data was necessary to determine whether the state was complying with federal election laws and adequately removing ineligible voters from registration rolls.
According to court filings, the Justice Department sought voter information that included dates of birth, driver's license numbers and partial Social Security numbers. Michigan officials opposed the request, arguing that releasing the records would violate voter privacy protections.
Writing for the majority, the appeals court said the Civil Rights Act of 1960, the principal statute cited by the federal government, did not authorize the broad disclosure sought by the Justice Department. The judges stated that “Title III's narrow text cannot withstand the weight of the government's broad request,” according to the court opinion.
The dissenting judge argued that the law could be interpreted to cover certain government-generated election records in addition to documents submitted by voters.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson welcomed the ruling, saying the state would continue providing public voter-registration information while protecting confidential personal data. State attorneys had argued that the federal government was seeking records beyond what federal law requires states to disclose.
The case is part of a wider Justice Department effort to obtain voter-registration records from numerous states and the District of Columbia. Federal judges in several states, including Maryland, Arizona, California, Oregon and Wisconsin, have also rejected similar requests, according to court records and state officials.
The Justice Department has maintained that access to unredacted voter rolls is necessary for election oversight and voter-list maintenance reviews. Opponents, including state election officials and voting-rights advocates, contend that the demands risk exposing sensitive voter information and infringing on privacy rights.
As of Thursday, appeals in related voter-roll disputes remained pending in other federal circuits, while the Justice Department had not publicly indicated whether it would seek further review of the Michigan ruling.
