Key facts
- A federal judge permanently blocked the Trump administration's executive order requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.
- The order also aimed to prevent mail ballots from being counted if they arrived after Election Day.
- U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper ruled the order violated the separation of powers.
- Casper stated the Constitution grants states and Congress authority over elections, not the President.
A U.S. federal judge has permanently blocked President Trump's administration from implementing significant portions of an executive order concerning elections. U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper issued the ruling, converting a preliminary injunction into a permanent ban.
The executive order sought to require individuals to provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote. It also aimed to prevent mail ballots from being counted if they arrived after Election Day, even if postmarked by then. Judge Casper rejected the administration's argument that the lawsuit, brought by Democratic state attorneys general, was premature. She agreed with the plaintiffs that the Constitution vests the authority to regulate elections with the states and Congress, not the President. "The Constitution... does not grant the President any specific powers over elections," Casper wrote in her decision. "As a result, the President ‘plays no direct role in the process of appointing electors, ‘nor does he have authority to control the state officials who do,’" she added, citing the Constitution’s Elections Clause which grants states the primary authority to decide how electors are chosen.