The Trump administration asked a federal judge Friday to halt an order requiring disclosure of a 20,000-person list, arguing that releasing it could compromise law enforcement investigations.
The list names roughly 20,000 California registered voters whom the Justice Department alleges are noncitizens. Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg ordered the department Friday to give it to the plaintiffs’ lawyers by 5 p.m. so they could check whether any of their members are on it, NBC News reported.
In a motion filed in Washington, D.C., Justice Department lawyers sought a stay while they seek review from an appeals court.
“Disclosure of the list in this case would harm the government’s compelling law enforcement interests,” they wrote in the five-page document.
Government lawyers accused the plaintiffs, including the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, of pursuing a “fishing expedition.” They argued that releasing the list could alert potential subjects or witnesses, allowing them to respond by “altering, destroying, or fabricating evidence.”
The administration separately challenged whether the plaintiffs have standing to sue. Lawyers said two recently naturalized citizens identified by the plaintiffs as potentially affected were not on the list.
“Plaintiffs are not entitled to a fishing expedition based on speculation that discovery of the list could potentially improve their slim chances of establishing standing,” according to the motion filed Friday.
The government argued that once the list is disclosed, the release cannot be undone, undermining its ability to challenge the order.
If the judge refuses to pause disclosure, the government wants access limited to the plaintiffs’ attorneys, with strict conditions — including that they be prohibited from “contacting anyone on the list.”
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