PORTLAND, MAINE — A federal judge in Portland, Maine dismissed the U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit seeking detailed voter registration data from the state. Chief U.S. District Judge Lance Walker, a Trump appointee, granted the state's motion to dismiss and described the government's claim as "half-hearted."

Walker wrote in his ruling: "Under our Constitution, states are the primary regulators and administrators of elections for federal office, unless Congress passes legislation that preempts that framework."

The Justice Department has sued at least 30 states and the District of Columbia seeking to force the release of detailed voter registration data, including dates of birth, addresses, driver's license numbers and partial Social Security numbers. The Trump administration has sought the data since last year in Maine and elsewhere.

Judges in Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon and Rhode Island have rejected similar Justice Department attempts to force states to turn over voter rolls. The Maine dismissal adds to a series of court setbacks for the federal effort to obtain state voter registration records.

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat and Trump opponent who is running for governor, responded to the ruling in a statement. "Our elections remain safe, secure, and in the hands of Wisconsinites where they belong," Bellows said. "Let me be clear — Trump and the DOJ may continue to try to interfere with free and fair elections run by the states. We will not let them," she said.

Officials with the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the rulings or a potential appeal. The department has not publicly indicated whether it plans to appeal the Maine dismissal.