PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit seeking access to Pennsylvania's voter rolls.
The judge said the administration does not have the authority to demand Pennsylvania's entire, unredacted voter-registration database.
And, she says, the government did not state its "basis and purpose" for making the request. But, she cites multiple public statements from Trump administration officials, "saying the quiet part out loud.”
She says their statements suggest they want to create "a nationwide voter-database, for potential weaponization in future elections; as a “fishing expedition,” hoped to advance unsubstantiated claims of non-citizen voting; and as a tool for immigration enforcement."
The Trump administration had sought voter rolls from more than half of the states. This is the administration's tenth defeat.
Gov. Josh Shapiro says, "No matter what the Trump Administration tries next, we’re going to stand up to protect Pennsylvanians’ right to privacy — and our fundamental right to vote."
