US judge blocks Justice Department bid to seize voter data in Rhode Island

Ruling is latest loss for Trump administration, which has sought access to state voter data ahead of the US midterms.A federal judge in the United States has dismissed a Department of Justice lawsuit seeking to access voter data from Rhode Island.The decision on Friday was the latest loss for the administration of President Donald Trump, which has sought to access voter data in dozens of states across the country.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Two dozen Democrat-led states sue Trump over mail-in ballot limitslist 2 of 3What is Trump-backed SAVE America Act and what could it mean for US vote?list 3 of 3US House votes down latest effort to curtail Trump’s power to wage Iran warend of listIn the ruling, US District Court Judge Mary McElroy sided with election officials and civil rights groups, writing that the Justice Department does not have the authority “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here”.Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore praised the ruling in a statement afterwards.“The executive branch seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states,” Amore wrote.“But the power of our democratic republic, built on three, coequal branches of government, is clearer than ever before.”The Justice Department has sued at least 30 states for their voter information, maintaining it needs the information to secure election security. State officials have said that turning over the data raises an array of privacy concerns.Under the US Constitution, state officials administer elections. Only Congress can pass laws related to how states oversee voting.But Trump has sought to transform election administration, claiming that voting has been marred by widespread fraud.In particular, Trump has continued to maintain that the 2020 election, in which he lost to former President Joe Biden, was “stolen”.