In a decision issued Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Judith C. Herrera found that the Justice Department’s demand letter did not identify a sufficient factual basis for requesting the protected voter information.
Source: Office of the New Mexico Secretary of State (via Facebook)
SANTA FE – A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice seeking access to unredacted New Mexico voter registration data, ruling the federal government failed to provide an adequate legal basis for its request.
In a decision issued Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Judith C. Herrera found that the Justice Department’s demand letter did not identify a sufficient factual basis for requesting the protected voter information. The court wrote that the DOJ failed to articulate any factual suggestion that New Mexico had violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) or the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), or explain why unredacted personal information was necessary to evaluate the state’s compliance with those laws.
New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver welcomed the ruling, saying the decision protects the personal information of registered voters.
“I am pleased with the court’s decision to dismiss this case. Federal and state legal guardrails on social security numbers and dates of birth exist for the identity protection of every voter in our state,” Toulouse Oliver said. “I absolutely will not risk any disclosure of voters’ private data, as it could carry very real and severe consequences for the personal lives of New Mexicans participating in our democratic process.”
The Doña Ana County Clerk’s Office also shared the court’s decision, noting that the lawsuit sought access to protected voter information maintained by New Mexico election officials.
The ruling is the latest in a series of federal court decisions rejecting similar Justice Department lawsuits seeking unredacted voter registration records from states across the country.
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