A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked key parts of President Trump’s executive order on election procedures, including a requirement for proof of citizenship on the federal voter registration form.
Trump’s March order had called for sweeping changes to U.S. elections, claiming the country “fails to enforce basic and necessary election protections.” But U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sided with voting rights groups and Democratic plaintiffs, granting a preliminary injunction to halt the citizenship mandate while the legal challenge proceeds.
The judge also blocked another provision that would have required people enrolling in public assistance programs to undergo citizenship checks before accessing voter registration forms. However, she denied requests to halt Trump’s directives to tighten mail-in ballot deadlines and allow federal agencies to compare voter rolls with immigration data.
The lawsuit, brought by groups including the Democratic National Committee, the League of Women Voters Education Fund, and the League of United Latin American Citizens, argues Trump’s order violates the Constitution’s Elections Clause and unlawfully asserts power over the independent U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
Plaintiffs contended that the citizenship rule would hinder registration efforts and force voter groups to divert resources. The administration countered that a citizenship requirement wouldn’t take effect for months and that the court intervention was premature.
