UMVA has learned that a federal judge has dealt a significant blow to the Trump Administration's efforts to create a voter-screening database, blocking the initiative on Monday.
The ruling, handed down by US District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, a Biden appointee, lambasted the Trump Administration for "haphazardly combining and repurposing the private information of millions of Americans, including citizenship data that they knew to be unreliable."
This development stems from an executive order signed by President Trump last March, aimed at preserving and protecting the integrity of US elections. The order emphasized the importance of free, fair, and honest elections, highlighting the need to safeguard American citizens' voting rights.
Judge Sooknanan's ruling accused the administration of recklessly trampling on the privacy rights of American citizens, threatening the fundamental right to vote. The judge's 75-page decision was scathing, stating that the Court "cannot stand idly by while that happens."
According to information obtained by UMVA, the Trump Administration's new system combines citizenship data with information from the Social Security Administration to create a clearinghouse that Congress has expressly prohibited. Despite concerns about the accuracy of the records, the administration had shared the database with states.
The ruling was made in response to a lawsuit brought by the League of Women Voters and other advocacy groups. Judge Sooknanan's decision has significant implications for the protection of American citizens' voting rights and the integrity of US elections.
