A federal judge will hear arguments Thursday in a case in which the state is being challenged by a conservative Virginia nonprofit because of a state law that seeks to control how voter information is used.

The Public Interest Legal Foundation, which describes itself as a “public interest law firm dedicated to election integrity,” first sued Maine in 2020.

That case challenged a state law that restricted access to the state’s registered voter list to political parties or groups engaged in get-out-the-vote efforts.

In 2021, state lawmakers amended the law to permit access by groups seeking to evaluate the state’s compliance with “its voter list maintenance obligations.”

But that same law also added privacy protections to prohibit the sale of voter information and forbid the release of information that could identify “a specific voter,” according to court filings.

It also instituted up to a $1,000 fine for each violation.

That prompted the foundation to amend its legal challenge to include the 2021 changes, said Lauren Bis, communications director for the foundation.

“They passed a law that penalizes you if you point out errors in a voter roll,” Bis said. “They continue to fight transparency.”

In a statement issued Tuesday, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said she will fight to honor “voter privacy.”

“Mainers should be able to register to vote without fear that someone will post their sensitive personal information online,” she said. “In this era of identity theft and online harassment, protecting individual sensitive information is more important than ever.”

In a ruling issued in March, U.S. District Judge George Singal ruled in favor of the foundation, writing that public disclosures required by the National Voter Registration Act preempt the restrictions in Maine law.

The First Circuit Court of Appeals will hear the case Thursday in Boston.