PHOENIX, ARIZONA — A federal judge dismissed the Department of Justice's lawsuit seeking access to Arizona's voter rolls, ruling that the agency was not entitled to the data under federal law. Following the decision by U.S. District Judge Susan Brnovich, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes criticized the motives behind the litigation and tied it to former President Donald Trump.

The Justice Department sued 30 states, including Arizona, seeking copies of their voter rolls. At least 13 states voluntarily complied with the demands. Courts in California, Oregon, Michigan, Massachusetts and Rhode Island have ruled against the department in similar disputes over voter roll data.

Fontes, a Democrat, characterized the effort as part of a broader push by Trump to consolidate personal data on Americans. "Trump is trying to amass a master list that will allow him to declare someone an enemy of the state," he said. "With personal information on all Americans at his disposal, the president could regulate key aspects of the lives of his opponents, including shutting off their bank accounts, or keeping them from getting healthcare."

He said the litigation was aimed at shaping the electorate rather than addressing voter fraud. "This is Donald Trump trying to pick his own voters," he said. He rejected the argument that the data requests were tied to non-citizen voting, saying, "This doesn't have anything to do with non-citizens, because non-citizens don't vote. Every study shows that."

He criticized an official in another state who had turned over voter data. "He was so quick to turn over the material as a political favor to Donald Trump," Fontes said. "Clearly he had no intention of protecting Arizona voters or legal processes."

Fontes said repeated challenges to election administration had become a recurring burden. "It's like herpes. It just keeps coming back. And I just don't think the state, or the nation, deserves that," he said. He described the broader effort as "This is a bald-faced attempt at completely controlling American democracy according to the whims of one political actor, and that's not just un-American, it's absolutely anti-American."

Trump issued an executive order requiring the U.S. Postal Service to reference a national voter file before delivering mail ballots. About 80% of votes in Arizona are cast by mail.

Looking ahead to the November election, he said, "We have to spend every single day from now until November focused on communicating as clearly as we can with every Arizona voter."