Michigan voter data privacy upheld as 6th Circuit rejects US Justice Department request

A federal appeals court ruled Michigan can keep personal information in voter registration records private, including birth dates and ID numbers. The 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals said the data are not covered by the federal law cited by the US Justice Department. Similar legal efforts in multiple states have also been rejected.

A US federal appeals court said Michigan could keep sensitive voter data private. The ruling marked another setback for the Trump administration’s push for details from states. Judges said the federal government was not entitled to birth dates, drivers licence numbers, or partial Social Security numbers from Michigan’s rolls.

In a 2-1 decision on Wednesday, the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals backed a federal judge in Lansing, Michigan. The court said the information sought was not covered by a law the US Justice Department relied on. The decision kept limits on what Michigan must share.

Michigan voter registration lists and the federal court ruling

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, said the federal government could only obtain a list of registered voters. Jocelyn Benson said that access should match what any member of the public can request. The appeal did not change that approach, and the court left the earlier order in place.

The Trump administration said it needed extra personal details to check Michigan’s compliance with federal election law. In a court filing, the administration pointed to anomalies and other complaints. Michigan’s lawyers disputed that motive. They argued the request could support a national voter file.

Trump administration voter data effort across US states

Courts have also turned back similar federal efforts in Maryland, Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. In Georgia, a judge threw out the case because it was filed in the wrong city. That led the government to file the lawsuit again elsewhere.

Michigan attorneys also said the data could be shared with the US Department of Homeland Security. They said the aim could be checking whether noncitizens registered and voted. The appeals court decision did not adopt that claim. It focused on whether federal law covered releasing the details.

At least 13 states have either provided or promised voter registration lists to the government. The Brennan Center for Justice and Associated Press reporting named Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming. The Michigan case added to a growing line of court limits.

With inputs from PTI