A federal judge in Michigan has dismissed a lawsuit from the Department of Justice seeking to obtain detailed state voter rolls, dealing another setback to the Biden administration’s efforts to access voter information across the country.

U.S. District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou, who was nominated by former President Donald Trump, ruled on Tuesday that the laws cited by the Justice Department do not require Michigan to disclose the requested voter records. The decision adds to a growing list of judicial rejections in similar cases nationwide.

“The three laws do not allow the United States to obtain the records at issue in this case,” Judge Jarbou wrote in her opinion, referring to the Civil Rights Act of 1960, National Voter Registration Act of 1993, and the Help America Vote Act of 2002.

The Justice Department has filed lawsuits against at least 23 states and the District of Columbia in what it describes as an effort to ensure election security. When contacted, Justice Department spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre declined to comment on the Michigan ruling or indicate whether the department plans to appeal.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson welcomed the court’s decision. “Today’s decision affirms that the law is on our side,” Benson said in a statement released Tuesday.

The legal dispute began in July when the Justice Department requested comprehensive voter records from Michigan, including an unredacted copy of the state’s voter registration list. Michigan officials responded in September, stating they would only share publicly available voter registration information, which excludes sensitive identifying details such as birth dates, addresses, and partial Social Security numbers.

This refusal prompted the Justice Department to file suit, arguing that the information was necessary to verify Michigan was properly maintaining its voter rolls in compliance with federal law.

Election officials in Michigan and other states have raised significant privacy concerns about the federal government’s demands. They argue that the requests violate both state and federal privacy protections and have expressed worries that the sensitive data could be used for purposes beyond election security, such as identifying potential noncitizens on voter rolls.

The Michigan case highlights the tension between federal oversight and state authority in election administration. In the United States, elections are primarily administered at the state and local levels, where detailed voter information is maintained according to varying state laws and regulations.

The ruling in Michigan follows similar judicial decisions in other states. Federal judges have recently dismissed comparable Justice Department lawsuits in Oregon, California, and Georgia. In the Georgia case, the judge ruled that the federal government had filed its lawsuit in the incorrect jurisdiction.

These consecutive legal defeats represent significant obstacles to the Justice Department’s nationwide initiative to access voter data. Critics of the effort argue it represents federal overreach into state election administration, while supporters maintain that federal access to such information is crucial for ensuring election integrity.

The controversy unfolds against the backdrop of heightened scrutiny of election systems and voter roll maintenance ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Both Republicans and Democrats have emphasized election security as a priority, though they often differ significantly on the appropriate methods and concerns.

As more of these cases work their way through the federal court system, the ultimate scope of federal authority to access state voter rolls remains uncertain, with potentially significant implications for how elections are administered and monitored nationwide.