Judge Blocks Trump-Era Order: Agencies Can’t Ask Citizenship Status on Voter Forms

In SACRAMENTO, Calif., a significant judicial decision emerged on Friday as a federal judge halted certain federal bodies from inquiring about citizenship when handing out voter registration forms. This ruling marks a setback for a comprehensive executive order on elections initiated by President Donald Trump the previous year.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, presiding in Washington, emphasized that the case fundamentally concerns the Constitution’s division of powers, which entrusts states and, to some extent, Congress with the responsibility for establishing election regulations.

Judge Kollar-Kotelly, appointed by former President Bill Clinton, asserted, “In essence, our Constitution does not permit the President to enforce unilateral alterations to federal election procedures.”

The judge’s ruling specifically nullified two sections of the executive order aimed at instituting proof-of-citizenship requirements.

According to her decision, federal agencies are prohibited from “assessing citizenship” before offering a voter registration form to individuals signing up for public assistance programs. Additionally, the ruling prevents the Secretary of Defense from demanding documentation of citizenship from military personnel when they register to vote or request ballots.

“Our democracy works best when all Americans can participate, including members of our military and their families living overseas. Today’s ruling removes a very real threat to the freedom to vote for overseas military families and upholds the separation of powers,” said Danielle Lang, a voting rights expert with the Campaign Legal Center, which is representing plaintiffs in the case.

The White House said Trump’s executive order was intended to ensure “election security” and said Friday’s ruling would not be the last word.

“Ensuring only citizens vote in our elections is a commonsense measure that everyone should be able to support,” said Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman. “This is not the final say on the matter and the administration looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue.”

The specter of noncitizens voting and tainting elections was a central strategy for Trump and Republicans during the 2024 campaign, and congressional Republicans are continuing to push proposals that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. Research, even among Republican state officials, has shown voting by noncitizens is a rare problem.

Friday’s ruling is among several setbacks for the president’s executive order, which has faced multiple lawsuits. In October, Kollar-Kotelly blocked the administration from adding a documentary proof of citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form. Separate lawsuits by Democratic state attorneys general and by Oregon and Washington, which rely heavily on mailed ballots, have blocked various portions of Trump’s order.