Justice Department Seeks Contempt Charges Over California Voter List Data
The Justice Department is pushing for contempt charges against an immigrant rights group after it published an analysis of a disputed noncitizen voter list.
At a glance
- The Justice Department asked a federal judge to consider contempt charges against the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights.
- Attorneys for the immigrant rights group revealed that an analysis showed many people on the government list do not appear in the state voter file.
- The Justice Department argued the analysis violated a court order restricting the use of the data.
The Justice Department is asking a federal judge to evaluate if legal counsel and an immigrant rights organization ought to be penalized for contempt. The move comes after the group published an analysis of a federal dataset containing names of alleged noncitizens registered to vote in California.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg had granted the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights access to the data on Friday, while ordering that names not be disclosed and the information be used solely for legal arguments regarding standing.
Dispute over the data analysis
Attorneys for the immigrant rights group filed court papers stating their analysis found that more than 40% of the individuals on the government list do not appear in the state voter file. The analysis also identified 22 people likely to be naturalized U.S. citizens and suggested thousands more citizens might be included.
In a filing on Sunday, the Justice Department argued that the group's analysis was irrelevant to their legal standing and thus violated the judge's order. The department suggested referring the matter for a criminal contempt investigation.
Response from legal representatives
Legal experts and attorneys fully complied with judicial directives, according to a statement by University of California, Los Angeles Voting Rights Project representative Alberto Lammers.
What the clash means for the legal battle
The dispute highlights the intense legal friction between the federal government and state officials over voter rolls ahead of elections. With the Justice Department defending the accuracy of its lists and pushing back against public challenges to its data, the outcome of the contempt request could set strict boundaries on how litigants handle sensitive government information provided during court proceedings.
What to watch: A Monday hearing scheduled by U.S. District Court Judge Trina L. Thompson regarding a separate appeal involving voter roll demands.
Reporting from: ABC News. Spotted an error? Tell us.
- Justice Department
- California
- Voting Rights
- Courts
- United States
- Politics