LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A federal judge dismissed a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit seeking access to Michigan’s voter rolls.

The DOJ sued dozens of states, including Michigan, to obtain detailed voter registration data. It argued it wanted to ensure states properly maintained voter lists. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office, which oversees elections, has faced multiple legal challenges in recent years related to voter roll maintenance and allegations of voter fraud. Last September, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi requested those voter rolls to “ensure that voter registration records are accurate, accessible, and secure.”

The dismissal from Judge Hala Jarbou comes after recent concerns brought to Benson’s office from Macomb County Clerk and GOP Secretary of State candidate Anthony Forlini. He told Michigan News Source he reached out to Benson’s office regarding possibly a dozen non-citizens registered to vote in his county.  Benson and the Michigan Bureau of Elections confirmed some of Forlini’s findings, and said only three of those individuals named in the investigation had an actual voting history.

In addition, Forlini said he doesn’t understand why Benson is mad at him and his office, nor does he understand why they shouldn’t work together to secure voting measures in Michigan.

Benson released a statement on Tuesday’s ruling, saying, “The law is on our side. I urge state election officials across the country to stand up to the federal government’s overreach and to safeguard citizens’ private voting information we’ve been entrusted to protect.” The voting information Benson said she’s protecting included social security numbers, which the federal government issues.