A federal appeals court on Friday denied a petition by the Trump administration to reconsider a ruling by a three-judge panel that had rejected the administration's claims to Michigan's full, unredacted voter rolls.
The Justice Department is seeking access to Michigan's qualified voter file, which is the record of people registered to vote in the state. That list contains voters' names, dates of birth, partial Social Security numbers, and driver’s license numbers.
The Trump administration has said it needs that information to ensure that Michigan — and other states where it's seeking access to similar files — is following federal election law. Michigan officials argued the federal government is unconstitutionally intruding into elections that are legally under the supervision of state and local governments, and that its actions will "intimidate and spread fear among voters."
The Trump administration lost in Michigan's initial challenge to its request in February, and it lost its appeal to the U.S. Sixth Circuit in June.
The Justice Department then sought an "en banc" hearing in which every active judge on the Sixth Circuit court would consider the case. In a Friday order first reported by Democracy Docket, the court denied that petition.
The Trump administration has been similarly unsuccessful in its efforts to gain access to voter registration records from other states, losing more than 20 such cases in federal court.
