U.S. District Judge Zahid Quaraishi Dismisses Administration Lawsuit Seeking New Jersey's Unredacted Voter Rolls
U.S. District Judge Zahid Quaraishi dismissed a federal lawsuit brought by the administration against New Jersey seeking the state's unredacted voter registration database. The court ruled that the Civil Rights Act does not grant the federal government sweeping authority over state-maintained records, noting that the Constitution empowers states to regulate and administer elections. New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport praised the ruling as a rejection of federal overreach, while the administration argued that the Civil Rights Act gave the U.S. Attorney General broad power to obtain election records. The administration's demand for personal information, including driver's licenses and Social Security numbers, was intended to help build a national voter database. Despite the administration's attempt to use a recent software error that added 6,600 non-citizens to the rolls as evidence, Judge Quaraishi ruled the error had no bearing on the legal right to the data. The Justice Department announced it would appeal the decision, which marks the 18th defeat in its nationwide campaign to compel states to provide private voter data.