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Sanctuary city lawyers plot to help illegal migrants evade ICE in exposed group email

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Sanctuary city lawyers plot to help illegal migrants evade ICE in exposed group email

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EXCLUSIVE – Leaked emails to and from certain Minneapolis-area lawyers show attempts to actively thwart efforts from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to apprehend illegal immigrant defendants in the sanctuary city.

The emails were sent on Feb. 6 on a private listserv, or email list, that goes out to several hundred members of the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL), according to a member who spoke to Fox News Digital on the condition of anonymity. 

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The same day, progressive Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison issued a formal legal opinion that state law “prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies from holding someone based on an immigration detainer if the person would otherwise be released from custody,” a press release from the AG’s office states. 

“ICE at the PSF,” one subject line states, possibly referring to the Public Safety Facility. “LRC just got word that plain clothes ICE officers have been spotted at the Hennepin County PSF today. Let’s do all we can to keep our clients safe in these difficult times,” the corresponding email reads.

‘SANCTUARY’ CITY MAYOR CONFRONTED AFTER GANG MEMBER ALLEGEDLY ASSAULTS FEDERAL OFFICERS

ICE at the PCF email screenshot (Handout)

Numerous responses from other attorneys ensued, with many suggesting lawyers request Zoom hearings for illegal immigrant defendants so that they do not have to appear in court in person and can therefore avoid ICE officers.

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Various sanctuary city officials have made concerted efforts to push back against the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration since he took office in January. President Donald Trump has signed a slew of executive orders aiming to streamline efforts by ICE and other law enforcement agencies to carry out the detention and removal process.

A recent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) directive rescinds the previous Biden administration’s guidelines preventing ICE and Customs and Border Protection officers from enforcing the law in “sensitive” areas.

CHICAGO PD SAYS IT ‘WILL NOT ASSIST’ WITH UPCOMING ICE DEPORTATIONS

“This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens – including murderers and rapists – who have illegally come into our country. Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” a DHS spokesperson said in a Jan. 21 statement. “The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense.

Nearly 1,000 people were arrested on Jan. 27, according to the ICE. (ICE)

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“The Biden-Harris Administration abused the humanitarian parole program to indiscriminately allow 1.5 million migrants to enter our country. This was all stopped on day one of the Trump Administration. This action will return the humanitarian parole program to its original purpose of looking at migrants on a case-by-case basis,” the spokesperson added.

RED STATE LEADER CALLS FOR STATES TO STAND BEHIND TRUMP’S BAN ON FUNDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Ronnie Santana with Tamburino Law Group replied, “I was thinking we may want to have a conversation within the organization about pooling together [a]nd asking to convert hearings to [Z]oom for clients that we think would be targeted by ICE.” (Handout)

On the Minnesota email list, Ronnie Santana with Tamburino Law Group said, “I was thinking we may want to have a conversation within the organization about pooling together [a]nd asking to convert hearings to [Z]oom for clients that we think would be targeted by ICE.”

Santana did not respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital.

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JaneAnne Murray with Murray Law LLC said in the email thread that she “called the court’s clerk and orally requested a [Z]oom appearance.”

“I explained the immigration circumstances and why I don’t want to lay them all out in a motion that may get reviewed by ICE. Shortly thereafter, I got an email authorizing my client to appear by [Z]oom (I must appear in person). Prosecutor was copied on the email but not consulted on the request,” Murray said.

Murray did not respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital. 

DENVER MAYOR GRILLED OVER AREA’S TREN DE ARAGUA PROBLEM AS GOP LAWMAKER SAYS POLICIES TO BLAME

Murray later followed up on her email and said she “called the court’s clerk and orally requested a [Z]oom appearance.” (Handout)

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Barry Cattadoris with the Third Judicial District Public Defender’s Office said “select judges in the Third Judicial District Court proactively reached out to the PD’s office,” possibly referring to the public defender’s office, “to state that they encourage [Z]oom requests on any cases with immigration issues for State and Defense in light of ICE showing up at courthouses and that requests will be ‘liberally’ granted.”

“So ask for Zoom!!!!!” Cattadoris wrote.

Cattadoris noted that while he hasn’t “practiced in Hennepin in over 10 years,” he recalled that emails “are not always scanned and put in a formal court file.” He noted in a later email that the illegal immigrants he has seen detained in the Third Judicial District “since January 20th have been 1) No lawful status and 2) facing more serious charges.”

“But have seen folks with no convictions and just pending serious charges,” Cattadoris added.

YOUNG FATHER KILLED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT HIGHLIGHTS ‘BETRAYAL’ OF SANCTUARY CITIES, SAYS REPUBLICAN 

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Cattadoris did not respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital.

Barry Cattadoris with the Third Judicial District Public Defender’s Office said “select judges in the Third Judicial District Court proactively reached out to the PD’s office,” possibly referring to the public defender’s office, “to state that they encourage [Z]oom requests on any cases with immigration issues for State and Defense in light of ICE showing up at courthouses and that requests will be ‘liberally’ granted.” (Handout)

One attorney suggested that it is “probably best to find a reason to request remote that doesn’t explicitly state immigration issues.” Another recommended “saying it’s an interpreter case and interpreters are more effective on [Z]oom.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

ACLU attorney Alicia Granse wrote, “Speaking of ICE… We at ACLU-MN are interested in protecting people from their presence at courthouses and at jails.”

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ICE is conducting flights to remove illegal immigrants from the U.S. and back to their home countries. (ICE Seattle)

“At minimum, no official should be holding someone based simply on an ICE detainer – they need a judicial warrant based on probable cause,” Granse continued. “If you have clients who have ICE holds and county officials or other law enforcement are honoring them, please email me… We might like to sue the crap out of them.”

CHICAGO ALDERMAN SAYS MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON CAN’T DEFEND SANCTUARY CITY POLICIES

“Previous cases we got good settlements for people and there’s even a permanent injunction against Nobles County for holding someone for ICE,” Granse said.

Granse did not respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital.

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ACLU attorney Alicia Granse wrote, “Speaking of ICE… We at ACLU-MN are interested in protecting people from their presence at courthouses and at jails.” (Handout)

Local officials are under no obligation to coordinate with federal officials insofar as holding illegal immigrants based on a detainer.

A January memo from ICE states that “generally, ICE’s immigration enforcement actions in our near courthouses include actions against targeted aliens,” including gang members, national security or public safety threats, those with prior criminal convictions, those who have been ordered to be removed from the United States “but have failed to depart,” and those who illegally re-entered the country after being previously deported.

ICE agents, along with other federal law enforcement agencies, attend a pre-enforcement meeting in Chicago on Jan. 26, 2025. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

George Washington University law professor and Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley told Fox News Digital the “emails suggest that the sole reason for converting hearings into virtual appearances is to evade ICE enforcement,” which “will raise a serious legal question over the proper use of court resources and orders.”

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“There is a legitimate debate over whether ICE should target those seeking judicial review in their cases,” Turley said. “Few immigrants will want to risk a hearing if they will be detained as a cost of appearing. However, if ICE has a right to access, the use of virtual hearings to prevent federal authorities could cross the Rubicon for some judges as an improper use of state authority to deter federal enforcement.”

“If there is a legal impediment for ICE to appear at hearings, the parties should ask for a court order of protection and allow the matter to be reviewed by appellate courts,” Turley added.

Jonathan Turley told Fox News Digital the MACDL emails “will raise a serious legal question over the proper use of court resources and orders.” (Fox News)

As of publication, officials have not taken any legal action stemming from the emails on the grounds that the correspondence represents an active effort to frustrate law enforcement, and none of the MACDL members who sent the aforementioned emails have been charged with any crime.

A subsection of Title 8 makes it illegal to harbor illegal immigrants. Specifically, Title 8, U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(A)(iii) “makes it an offense for any person who – knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, conceals, harbors, or shields from detection, or attempts to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection, such alien in any place, including any building or any means of transportation.”

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Another subsection of the same law “expressly makes it an offense to engage in a conspiracy to commit or aid or abet the commission of” harboring an illegal immigrant.

Additionally, 18 U.S.C. § 1346 makes it an offense to “scheme or artifice to deprive another of the intangible right of honest services.” Honest services fraud involves “the misuse of an individual’s position or authority for personal gain or advantage,” according to Eisner Gorin LLP. “It can be committed by public officials, corporate officers, and private individuals with fiduciary duties to another person or entity.”

The Department of Homeland Security logo is seen during a news conference in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

In 2019, charges were filed against Massachusetts Judge Shelley Joseph, who was accused of impeding the federal arrest of an illegal immigrant defendant in her courtroom. Prosecutors dropped the charges in 2022 after Trump left office, but the scrutiny did not end there. The Massachusetts Judicial Conduct Commission filed an ethics complaint against Joseph in 2024, according to Reuters.

While none of the MACDL members who sent the emails responded to Fox News Digital, the association sent an email to members following Fox’s inquiries, stating: “The author(s) of the email(s) did not consent to having their statements or advice disseminated beyond our organization and are now being asked for comment for a story. We are angered and feel betrayed on behalf of the impacted people.”

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Trump’s recent immigration-related executive orders include declaring a national emergency at the border, halting refugee resettlement, ordering a removal process without asylum and border wall reconstruction, and deploying the military to the border.

As of Jan. 31, ICE has arrested 7,412 illegal immigrants and placed nearly 6,000 ICE detainers on individuals believed to be in the country illegally.

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Indianapolis, IN

Authorities brace for retaliation in wake of after-prom party shooting in Indianapolis

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Authorities brace for retaliation in wake of after-prom party shooting in Indianapolis


INDIANAPOLIS — The victim of Sunday morning’s shootout on the north side of Indianapolis has been identified as 38-year-old Brittany Marie Members.

Two other people were wounded at a short-term rental property at 40th Street and Park Avenue when an SUV full of gunmen opened fire on the house where Members’ daughter was hosting an after-prom party.

Approximately 100 shell casings from multiple guns were discovered at the scene as the result of three volleys of gunfire — two from the assailants and one from the people at the house.

A photograph from earlier in the evening showed three partygoers displaying four guns — two of them large semi-automatic rifles with banana clips — standing in front of party decorations.

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Area residents told FOX59/CBS4 that party planners returned to the home Sunday night and removed the decorations nearly 24 hours after the early morning shooting.

“It was pure pandemonium, it was scary, it was terrifying, and I would have likened it to some type of war movie,” said Brandi Mitchell, a neighbor who awoke to a bullet hole in the front window of her home at 1 a.m. Sunday. “We heard a lot of yelling, a lot of screaming, so we just knew at that point it was gunfire, and I just immediately took cover.”

Neighborhood security video obtained by FOX59/CBS4 recorded the sounds of gunfire, people fleeing the scene on foot and a white SUV that rolled backward up Park Avenue after the first round of shots, headed back toward the house for a second volley and appeared to drive in reverse again after the partygoers fired back.

Mitchell said neighbors have recognized that the large yellow house across the street has been utilized as a short-term rental since early 2025, and while there was no previous trouble, she became uneasy as Saturday night rolled on and more young people arrived at the address.

“But as the night progressed, there were more and more people showing up, and we were getting a little agitated because it’s a lot of people,” Mitchell said. “And when there’s a lot of people, and didn’t look like a lot of supervision after those hours, it could get a little scary.”

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The City’s Office of Public Health and Safety will deploy violence interrupters to reach out to victims and the community in an attempt to quell any potential retaliation.

“We don’t want that one shooting to become four, and we don’t want that one homicide to become four,” said Deputy Public Safety Director Tony Lopez.

In the coming days, Lopez’s staff will be “engaging with the family, engaging with others, trying to figure out if retaliation is possible, where’s the retaliation coming from.”

Lopez said warmer weather and springtime or end-of-school celebrations bring more parties to short-term rental properties around Indianapolis, making it challenging to monitor and follow up on violence that occasionally occurs.

City officials have indicated it is likely the owner of the Park Avenue property may face a fine for failing to register his short-term rental location with the Bureau of Neighborhood Services.

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Cleveland, OH

2026 NBA Playoffs: Cavaliers vs. Pistons series prediction, pick for the second round

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2026 NBA Playoffs: Cavaliers vs. Pistons series prediction, pick for the second round


Sean Barnard breaks down the upcoming second-round NBA Playoffs series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons will face off in the second round of the Eastern Conference, with the remaining playoff teams trimmed down to eight. Both sides are coming off a grueling seven-game series and will have little time for rest. The Cavaliers squeaked by the Raptors while the Pistons were pushed to the brink by the eighth-seeded Magic.

The Pistons are -125 favorites to win the series on DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Cavaliers are +105 underdogs. These are the shortest odds of any of the second-round matchups.

However, there are plenty of different ways to get involved in the action that hold more appeal than just betting the series straight up. This article will take a look at a preview for each team and a pair of series bets that have caught my eye.

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Cavaliers vs. Pistons preview, prediction

Cleveland Cavaliers

It was a turbulent series for the Cleveland Cavaliers. After failing to get over the postseason hump with the same core, Cleveland pulled the plug by trading Darius Garland in exchange for James Harden, hoping this would change. It took seven games for them to officially bury the youthful Toronto Raptors, but Cleveland proved to have enough to get the job done. The Cavaliers finished the regular season with a 52-30 record and earned the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland has gone 36-53 against the spread, and the game total is 45-44 to the over/under.

Even following Harden’s addition, Donovan Mitchell still headlines the production for Cleveland. The seven-time All-Star averaged 27.9 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.5 rebounds across the regular season. Neither star quite lived up to expectations in the opening round, but they still advanced to the second round. Harden added 20.5 points and 7.7 assists across his 26 games in Cleveland, while Evan Mobley posted averages of 18.2 points and nine rebounds per game. Jarrett Allen, Max Strus, Jaylon Tyson, and Dean Wade also play notable roles.

As a team, the Cavaliers averaged 119.5 points per game during the regular season, ranking fourth in the NBA. Cleveland also ranks sixth in offensive rating, eighth in field goal percentage, and 13th in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents have scored 115.4 points per game against the Cavaliers, which ranks 15th. They also rank 15th in defensive rating, eighth in opponent field goal percentage, and 26th in opponent three-point percentage.

Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons led the Eastern Conference from start to finish this season, ultimately finishing the season with a 60-22 overall record. The organization had a massive turnaround last season, improving its record from 14-68 in 2023-24 to 44-38. They got their first taste of postseason basketball, losing to the Knicks in a hard-fought series, and further took a step forward this season. While it was not the cleanest path to advancing to the second round, Detroit’s postseason aspirations are still within reach. On the season, the Pistons are 47-42 against the spread and 41-48 to the over/under.

Cade Cunningham sets the tone for this entire roster and leads the team in production. The former number one overall pick posted averages of 23.9 points, 9.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds across the regular season. Jalen Duren made an All-Star leap alongside him, posting averages of 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game on the season, but he has greatly struggled in this postseason. Daniss Jenkins has been a breakout impact player this season, while Tobias Harris provides veteran leadership to the young roster. Ausar Thompson, Kevin Huerter, Duncan Robinson, and Ron Holland also play notable roles.

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Detroit is scoring 117.8 points per game this season, which ranks eighth in the NBA. The Pistons also rank 10th in offensive rating, third in field-goal percentage and 17th in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 109.6 points per game against the Pistons, which ranks third in the league. J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad also ranks second in defensive rating, third in opponent field-goal percentage, and first in opponent three-point percentage.


Cavaliers vs. Pistons Best Bets

Detroit Pistons to Win the Series (-125)

It was a concerning opening series for the Detroit Pistons, but this is a much cleaner matchup for them. Detroit has built an identity by playing hard-nosed defense and being the tougher and more athletic team on just about every floor they walk on. The Magic had the size to match this, and the Pistons’ offensive struggles showed face for stretches.

Don’t expect this to be the case against the Cavaliers. This is the same Cavaliers’ core that head coach Kenny Atkinson publicly questioned for its toughness following a playoff exit. While James Harden is a change on the roster, he doesn’t exactly have the track record to support this change in mental toughness. Evan Mobley is a high-level defender, but the Cavaliers have underwhelmed defensively all season. They faced a Raptors team with some similar offensive issues as the Pistons, and Toronto still managed to push them to seven games. This includes the Raptors winning a game in which they shot just 32% from the field and 13% from three-point range.

In addition, it felt as if the Pistons took a few games to wake up to the playoff atmosphere. The organization largely had the top seed locked up for a few weeks and was able to take its foot off the gas down the stretch. In contrast, the Magic had been fighting for their playoff lives for a couple of weeks and played with a desperation that showed in the results. The Pistons got better as the series went on and looked like the team they showed all season by the series conclusion. Expect this to carry over into the second round and for Detroit to find a way to win with the -125 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook being extremely manageable.

Detroit Pistons to Go Undefeated at Home (+270)

The Pistons finished the regular season with a 31-9 record at home this season. They also won three straight games at home during the round one series after dropping the series opener. While the Cavaliers posted a 25-16 road record during the regular season, they dropped all three games in Toronto in the opening round, including a 22-point blowout. Detroit has a committed fan base that is sure to bring the energy and believes in this current team. This will be a hostile atmosphere for Cleveland, and the Pistons have a strong outlook for protecting home court.

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It is fair not to have full belief in this Pistons team after a concerning opening round. But they flipped the switch midway through and looked like the team they have all season. Cleveland has not shown the ability to win on the road in the postseason, and this path only looks slimmer in this matchup. Expect the Pistons to defend their home court whenever they have the chance, and the +270 odds are a friendly payout for matchups they will likely be comfortable favorites in.


Cavaliers vs. Pistons FAQ

When is Game 1 of Cavaliers vs. Pistons?

Game 1 of the Cavaliers vs. Pistons series will take place on Tuesday, May 5th at 7 p.m. ET.

Where is Game 1 of Cavaliers vs. Pistons?

Game 1 will be held at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, as the Pistons hold the home-court advantage in the series.

How many games is the Cavaliers vs. Pistons series?

This is a best-of-seven series between the Cavaliers and Pistons. The first team to win four games will move on to the Eastern Conference Finals.



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Illinois

DOJ seeking Illinois voter data to purge suspected noncitizens, documents suggest

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DOJ seeking Illinois voter data to purge suspected noncitizens, documents suggest


SPRINGFIELD — The Trump administration’s lawsuits seeking access to sensitive voter registration data in Illinois and dozens of other states is one part of a broader effort to purge state voter rolls of suspected noncitizens, according to documents filed recently in federal court in Springfield.

Those documents were filed Thursday, April 30, by attorneys representing the Illinois AFL-CIO and other groups that have intervened in the case seeking to prevent the Department of Justice from obtaining the information. They say it proves the agency’s stated reasons for seeking the data — to determine whether Illinois is complying with voter list maintenance requirements — is only a pretext and the agency’s suit against the state should be dismissed.

Read the filing

Several former DOJ attorneys who have worked in the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division filed an amicus brief in the case in March, arguing the agency has no statutory authority to seek the information to conduct its own list maintenance program or to identify noncitizens.

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The new documents filed Thursday include internal DOJ emails that the attorneys say were made available “in response to a public records request lawsuit.”

One of those was a June 16, 2025, email from Michael Gates, who was then a deputy assistant attorney general in DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, to his superior, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who oversees that division. In that email, Gates states that the division is seeking access to the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, database.

“This will be helpful to us because it will allow us to compare this SAVE database against states’ voter rolls, which we will get directly from states under the (National Voter Registration Act),” Gates wrote.

The next month, on July 28, DOJ sent its first letter to the Illinois State Board of Elections seeking access to Illinois’ complete, unredacted statewide voter registration list, indicating that it was part of DOJ’s efforts to enforce voter list maintenance provisions of NVRA. The letter was signed by Gates. It also bore the name of Maureen Riordan, acting chief of the Voting Section within the Civil Rights Division.

Gates has since left the Justice Department. He is currently a Republican candidate for California attorney general in that state’s upcoming June 2 primary.

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SAVE database

The SAVE database was originally set up to help states verify the citizenship and immigration status of people applying for public benefits such as Medicaid and SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Some states also use it to verify people’s eligibility to vote.

But the program has also been the target of criticism because of its tendency to misidentify people as noncitizens due to its use of incomplete or inaccurate data.

On April 21, the watchdog groups Common Cause and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, filed a lawsuit against DOJ in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleging the agency wants to use state voter registration lists and the SAVE database to conduct what they call “a sprawling new voter surveillance and purging apparatus that endangers millions of Americans’ fundamental voting and privacy rights.”

A second document filed last week in the Illinois case is a Nov. 18, 2025, email from the acting chief of the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section, Eric Neff, that appears to suggest how the agency should conceal its intentions when asked why it is seeking states’ voter registration databases.

“I believe our reply should always be: ‘We will use the data in a manner consistent with Federal law’ and say nothing more,” Neff wrote to fellow DOJ lawyers Jesus Osete and Matt Zandi. He also said of the Help America Vote Act, the Civil Rights Act and NVRA, “none of them require (us) to give the states information about what we are going to do with the data. No judge will have authority to limit us beyond a promise of Federal law compliance.”

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Illinois lawsuit

Illinois has refused to hand over an unredacted voter registration list. Instead, it has provided DOJ with electronic copies of partially redacted files that do not include sensitive information such as dates of birth, driver’s license numbers or partial Social Security numbers.

In December, DOJ filed suit in the Central District of Illinois seeking access to the unredacted files. It also filed similar suits in 29 other states and Washington, D.C.

The Illinois AFL-CIO, Common Cause several and other groups have intervened as codefendants in the case.

Attorneys for the state and the intervening parties have filed motions to dismiss the DOJ lawsuit. Judge Colleen Lawless has not yet ruled on the motion. Similar suits have already been dismissed in six other states. No court has yet ruled in favor of DOJ’s request for access to the unredacted voter files.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. 

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