Federal judge dismisses DOJ case seeking Georgians’ sensitive voter data
A federal judge in Macon dismissed a case Friday filed by the U.S. Department of Justice seeking sensitive information on Georgia voters.
Senior U.S. District Court Judge C. Ashley Royal ruled that the Trump administration filed its lawsuit against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in the wrong court.
“District courts are courts of limited jurisdiction and may not hear a case where the court lacks jurisdiction over the subject matter of the dispute,” wrote Royal.
He said that the Justice Department’s written demand for the records was mailed and e-mailed to Raffensperger and State Elections Director Blake Evans. But both of their offices are within the Northern District of Georgia and Macon is in the Middle District. He also said the records themselves are not within the Macon court’s jurisdiction.
Royal wrote in his order that the district court in Atlanta would be the proper venue to file a lawsuit.
A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether they would refile the lawsuit.
The Trump administration sued Raffensperger in federal court late last year for unredacted voter rolls, which include voters’ birth dates, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.
The dismissal comes after a state Senate committee passed a resolution urging Raffensperger to hand over the sensitive voter information to the Justice Department.
The resolution accuses Raffensperger of obstructing the Justice Department and alleges a pattern of behavior to skirt oversight of Georgia elections.
The Republican-controlled State Election Board passed a similar measure on Wednesday.
The secretary of state’s office has told the Justice Department it has given all of the voter information it could under state law.
In an editorial for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Raffensperger called sharing voters’ data with the Justice Department “reckless” and illegal.
“I will always follow the law and follow the Constitution,” Raffensperger said in a statement Friday. “I won’t violate the oath I took to stand up for the people of this state, regardless of who or what compels me to do otherwise.”
Georgia’s not alone. The Trump administration has sought this data in more than 40 states and filed lawsuits in 20, mostly targeting Democratic-led states. The administration claims it needs the information to ensure accurate voter registration information.
A federal judge dismissed a case seeking voter data in California last week. Separately, a different federal judge last week indicated a case in Oregon would be dismissed.
Some states have handed over the unredacted voter rolls, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.
The Justice Department has also sued Fulton County to retrieve copies of ballots and other election records from the county’s long-scrutinized 2020 election, which without evidence, President Donald Trump has claimed he won.
About the Author
Caleb Groves is a general assignment reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's politics team and a Kennesaw State University graduate.
