“Georgia has worked with our federal partners and will continue to do so, but cooperation does not mean ignoring the law or surrendering the privacy rights of Georgia voters,” Raffensperger said. “We stood our ground because the law was clear, and we are thankful the Court agreed.”
A federal judge has dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who’d repeatedly refused the government’s demands to obtain state voter rolls.
According to CBS News, the lawsuit was part of the Trump administration’s concerted, nationwide effort to obtain state-level voter information. The Justice Department has sent demands to almost every state in the country for unredacted data, including voters’ birthdates, addresses, and driver’s license numbers.
To date, almost every state that has resisted the administration’s demands has so won its case in court.
Most recently, on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Victoria Marie Calvert agreed with Raffensperger’s argument that the Department of Justice’s request violates Georgia law, which states that data collected about voters must remain confidential.
In her ruling, Calvert rejected the Justice Department’s supposition that Title III of the Civil Rights Act provides authority to request confidential voter data.
“Based on the text of the CRA, including what was cited above, there is no explicit manifestation of Congress’s intent to preempt states’ voter privacy laws,” Calvert wrote.
Calvert ultimately determined that Raffensperger and the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office have complied with federal law relating to voter records, including statutes governing voter-roll maintenance and information-sharing.
CBS News notes that Raffensperger is one of a very few Republican officials who have challenged the Trump administration’s demands rather than cave without any attempt at negotiation. In a statement, Raffensperger said he’d already agreed to share the public parts of the voter roll and explain the state’s processes for how Georgia removes ineligible and outdated registrations.
“I will always protect the sensitive personal information of Georgians, in accordance with the law and the Constitution,” Raffensperger said. “I will not give in and break the law for anyone. Period.”
The Trump administration, to date, has lost 26 of 30 lawsuits filed in an effort to obtain state-level voter data. Four cases remain pending in Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, and Utah.
Several Republican-controlled states, including Texas and Alaska, met the government’s demands without even attempting to put up a fight. Raffensperger said that his office chose a different course because the government’s requests were unnecessary and illegal.
“Georgia has worked with our federal partners and will continue to do so, but cooperation does not mean ignoring the law or surrendering the privacy rights of Georgia voters,” Raffensperger said. “We stood our ground because the law was clear, and we are thankful the Court agreed.”
Sources
DOJ lawsuit seeking Georgia voters’ unredacted data dismissed, again
Judge dismisses Trump administration’s lawsuit attempting to obtain Georgia’s sensitive voter data
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