A federal judge on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump from implementing an executive order that requires voters to show documentation proving their U.S. citizenship to cast a ballot in federal elections.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, a Bill Clinton appointee, granted a preliminary injunction stopping the Trump administration from going forward with the proof-of-citizenship requirements as a lawsuit plays out, the Associated Press reported. The lawsuit, filed by the Democratic National Committee and leftist voting rights groups, claims that Trump’s order is “an unlawful action that threatens to uproot our tried-and-tested election systems and silence potentially millions of Americans.”
Trump’s executive order, which he signed in March, aims to eliminate voter fraud in U.S. elections.
“Under the Constitution, State governments must safeguard American elections in compliance with Federal laws that protect Americans’ voting rights and guard against dilution by illegal voting, discrimination, fraud, and other forms of malfeasance and error. Yet the United States has not adequately enforced Federal election requirements that, for example, prohibit States from counting ballots received after Election Day or prohibit non-citizens from registering to vote,” the order states.
Another part of Trump’s order — requiring those enrolled in public assistance to have their citizenship assessed before receiving a voter registration form — was also blocked by Judge Kollar-Kotelly. The judge denied the plaintiff’s request to block the part of Trump’s order that tightens deadlines on mail ballots, according to the AP.
Opponents of the executive order argue that states can establish their own election processes and that only Congress can take action to override state laws related to federal elections.
The judge’s move means that yet another Trump action will be tied up in the courts and prevented from taking effect. Federal judges have blocked numerous Trump orders, including on cuts to federal agency staff, deportations, and birthright citizenship. As of Thursday, 108 different rulings have blocked or temporarily frozen Trump’s attempts to carry out his agenda, according to The New York Times.
