A federal judge on July 14 rejected the Justice Department’s attempt to obtain the private personal data of every registered voter in New Mexico, adding to the overall number of cases the DOJ has lost in which it has sought similar information.
U.S. District Judge Judith C. Herrera dismissed the latest voter roll lawsuit, ruling that the department’s demand letter lacked facts, proof of a pattern of violations, and explanations of necessity.
The court found that “the DOJ’s Demand Letter fails because it altogether lacks an identifiable ‘basis.’ Nowhere does the DOJ articulate any factual suggestion that New Mexico has violated the NVRA [National Voter Registration Act] or HAVA [Help America Vote Act], indicate the State has a pattern or practice of noncompliance with the same, nor does it explain how the unredacted PII is necessary to evaluate compliance with the NVRA and HAVA.”…