Rhode Island Sheds DOJ Voter Registration List Demand

Federal voter registration laws don’t authorize a “fishing expedition” from the Trump administration that demanded Rhode Island’s voter rolls, a federal judge ruled.

Judge Mary S. McElroy of the US District Court for the District of Rhode Island on Friday rejected the Justice Department’s motion for the state to compel production of the state’s voter list and dismissed the case.

“The purpose stated in the Attorney General’s demand—purportedly, to ensure compliance with” two federal voter registration laws, “does not plausibly relate to individual voting rights,” McElroy said.

McElroy joins a growing list of federal district judges in Massachusetts, California, ...