Topline
A federal judge partially blocked parts of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump last month that sought to change voting requirements, specifically barring a provision that called for voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship to register for federal election.
The ruling was issued Thursday. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
Key Facts
Senior District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said in a filing the government was barred from taking action on the executive order that sought to require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship when voting in federal elections.
Kollar-Kotelly said in a memorandum the Constitution “entrusts Congress and the States—not the President—with the authority to regulate federal elections.”
The judge also blocked another provision from the order that would have required federal agencies to assess potential voters’ citizenship before providing voter registration forms to them.
The White House did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment on the lawsuit, which was brought by the Democratic National Committee and other Democratic-affiliated groups.
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Contra
Kollar-Kotelly did not block provisions regarding mail-in ballots because states are already challenging them in other courts. Trump’s executive order aimed to make it so that absentee and mail-in ballots could not be counted after Election Day, potentially impacting Puerto Rico and 18 states that accept mail ballots received after Election Day as long as they are postmarked on or before the day.
Key Background
The executive order was signed last month and also threatened states with loss of grants and/or federal funding if they did not follow the requirements. The order’s provisions largely aligned with Trump’s allegations of large-scale voter fraud in the U.S. that he has baselessly claimed is conducted through mail-in ballots and votes from non-citizens. The allegations from Trump, which reached a fever pitch following his loss to former President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, have been widely disproven and contested. A report commissioned by Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign reportedly undercut the president’s claims of fraud, according to The Washington Post, which noted the study did not provide enough evidence to overturn the 2020 election. An analysis conducted by the Associated Press also found minimal cases of fraud during the election, which did not come close to overturning the results. Trump continued levying claims of voter fraud in the 2024 election that were debunked by multiple states, though he quickly quieted on those claims as results on election night showed a clear victory.
Further Reading
Trump Issues Executive Order Including Major Changes To Elections—Here’s What We Know (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2025/04/24/judge-blocks-trump-from-mandating-proof-of-citizenship-for-voting/