A federal judge in California has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) in a thirty-three-page ruling.
At nearly the same time, another federal judge issued a ruling from the bench on Wednesday that granted Oregon’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed against it. This ruling is tentative pending a written decision, according to reporting from KOIN.
Both California and Oregon were sued by the DOJ alongside more than twenty other states, including Maine, for their refusal to turn over unredacted voter registration files to the federal government upon request.
In late December, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows filed a motion to dismiss the DOJ’s suit against the state, but a judge has not yet ruled on this request.
[RELATED: Maine Files Motion to Dismiss DOJ Lawsuit Over Refusal to Turn Over Voter Registration Information]
Judge David O. Carter of California, appointed by former President Bill Clinton, called the government’s records request “unprecedented and illegal” in his recent ruling.
“The DOJ’s request for the sensitive information of Californians stands to have a chilling effect on American citizens like political minority groups and working-class immigrants who may consider not registering to vote or skip casting a ballot because they are worried about how their information will be used,” Judge Carter wrote.
“Fundamental privacy and voting rights must be subjected to the crucible of public debate through the legislative branch of the American government,” he said. “It cannot be the product of an executive fiat.”
The DOJ does not appear to have responded to requests for comment on the ruling from members of the national press.
In an interview with KOIN, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read called Judge Mustafa Kasubhai’s decision a “big win for Oregonians’ privacy and the rule of law.”
“The federal government tried to abuse their power to force me to break my oath of office and hand over your private data. I stood up to them and said no,” he said. “Now, the court sided with us. Tonight, we proved, once again, we have the power to push back and win.”
“The case in Oregon showed what we’ve always known,” said Bellows in a written statement shared by WGME, “the best way to deal with a bully isn’t to give in, it’s to say, ‘Hell no.’”
“I was proud to tell President Trump and the DOJ to jump in the Gulf of Maine because I will never compromise when it comes to protecting Mainers,” Bellows said. “I look forward to a similar result in our own case.”
The lawsuit against Maine alleges that the state and Secretary of State Bellows have violated several federal laws, including the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and the Civil Rights Act of 1960 (CRA).
These alleged violations are said to stem from Bellows’ refusal “to provide data regarding the removal of ineligible individuals and to produce an unredacted, computerized state voter registration list.”
When the challenge against Maine was first brought by the DOJ in the fall, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division issued a statement speaking to the situation.
“States simply cannot pick and choose which federal laws they will comply with, including our voting laws, which ensure that all American citizens have equal access to the ballot in federal elections,” said Assistant Attorney General Dhillon.
“American citizens have a right to feel confident in the integrity of our electoral process,” Dhillon said, “and the refusal of certain states to protect their citizens against vote dilution will result in legal consequences.”
