Judge Declines to Open Up Trump Voting Commission Meeting

A federal judge on Tuesday rejected a bid to require President Donald Trump's voter integrity commission to open its first meeting to public attendees.

The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed a lawsuit last week alleging the commission violated federal transparency laws that require advisory committees to post public notices of their meetings and to make other documents available. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly wrote in her opinion that the plaintiffs are unlikely to succeed on the merits of their claim because it's not clear the commission is not in compliance with the law.

She also ruled the commission disclosed enough information "for the public and Plaintiff to engage in an informed debate" about its activities.

A team of lawyers from Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer represent the plaintiffs, including partners John Freedman, David Weiner and R. Stanton Jones. Jon Greenbaum and Ezra Rosenberg of the Lawyers' Committee are also on the case.

Lawyers' Committee President and Executive Director Kristen Clarke said in a written statement the group is "disappointed" with the ruling, but "encouraged" the court "recognized that more documents are likely to be disclosed as our case continues."

"With the voting rights of millions of Americans at stake, we will continue the fight to ensure full transparency with respect to this so-called commission's activities," Clarke said.

The plaintiffs last week asked the judge to require the commission to produce certain documents, block the July 19 meeting until the documents are produced and require the commission to allow the public to personally attend.

"There is no doubt that the Commission and its request for voter roll information have generated substantial public interest and debate," the judge wrote. "Nonetheless, Plaintiff has failed to demonstrate that, absent preliminary injunctive relief, its ability to engage in this public debate would be substantially impaired in a manner that is both 'certain and great.'"

The commission, created by Trump in May via executive order, is the subject of multiple lawsuits alleging violations of transparency laws and privacy statutes. Vice President Mike Pence is the chairman.

In her ruling, Kollar-Kotelly said that the commission's plan to livestream its Wednesday meeting is sufficient under the Federal Advisory Committee Act's public meeting clause. The commission also argued that because the Wednesday meeting is the first, there are few documents that pertain to the meeting and require disclosure beforehand, and that it plans to make the agenda meeting publicly available.