A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice seeking access to Massachusetts’ voter registration records, marking the latest judicial rebuff of the Justice Department’s efforts to obtain detailed voter data from states nationwide. The ruling came from U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin, an Obama appointee, who concluded that the Justice Department failed to meet the legal requirements set forth by federal law governing access to such records.

According to Sorokin, the relevant statute demands that the U.S. attorney general submit a factual statement explaining the specific reasons for requesting the voter data, rather than offering a mere hypothetical justification. The department’s request to Massachusetts, Sorokin noted, did not cite the governing Civil Rights Act of 1960 nor provide any factual basis for the demand, which is required to demonstrate a legitimate investigatory purpose.

The Justice Department has characterized its efforts as part of a broader initiative to enhance election security. However, officials from both parties in several states have resisted the demands, expressing concerns over potential violations of state and federal privacy laws and the risk that sensitive information could be used for purposes beyond election oversight, including screening for noncitizens. During a March hearing in Rhode Island, a Justice Department attorney acknowledged the intent to share unredacted voter data with the Department of Homeland Security to cross-check citizenship status through the agency’s expanded Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program.

The Massachusetts ruling is the fifth rejection of similar lawsuits filed by the Justice Department in recent months. The department has sued at least 30 states and the District of Columbia seeking records that include voters’ names, dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers. While some states, including Alaska, Texas, and Ohio, have complied or pledged to do so, many others have declined on privacy grounds.

The law at issue, originally enacted to combat racial discrimination in voting, requires that federal requests for voter records include a clear statement justifying the demand and detailing how the information will be used. Sorokin found the Justice Department’s letter to Massachusetts lacked these elements, focusing instead on a general, unsupported claim that the state may not be complying with federal laws related to voter registration lists.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell lauded the ruling, describing it as “a decisive win for voters and the rule of law,” and affirming her commitment to protecting voter privacy and election integrity against what she called the Trump administration’s “cruel and harmful agenda.”

Similar lawsuits have been dismissed by federal judges in Michigan, California, Oregon, and Georgia, with the latter having dismissed the case on procedural grounds that have since been addressed by the Justice Department. The department has appealed the decisions in Oregon, California, and Michigan and continues to pursue other cases seeking access to voter data.