Appeals court rejects Trump administration's effort to get Michigan's sensitive voter information

Key Points:

• The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the Justice Department is not entitled to Michigan's sensitive voter registration list, rejecting the Trump administration's demand for unredacted voter rolls.
• The court found that the federal civil rights law cited by the government does not authorize obtaining confidential voter information, emphasizing the law's original intent to protect voting rights rather than investigate alleged illegal voting.
• Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and officials from 30 other states refused to provide unredacted voter data, leading to multiple lawsuits by the Justice Department, most of which have been dismissed by district courts.
• The ruling aligns with a broader judicial pushback against the Trump administration's efforts to overhaul election rules, including executive orders on mail ballots and voter registration that have faced constitutional challenges in other states.
• On the same day, a federal judge in Massachusetts permanently blocked key provisions of a Trump directive requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration and restricting mail ballot counting, citing constitutional concerns.