US judge blocks Trump order requiring proof of citizenship to vote | Trump administration

Donald Trump’s request to add documentary proof of citizenship to the federal voter registration form cannot be enforced, a federal judge ruled Friday.

US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington DC has sided with Democratic and civil rights groups who have sued the Trump administration over its executive order to overhaul US elections.

She ruled that the directive on proof of citizenship was an unconstitutional violation of the separation of powers, dealing a blow to the administration and its allies who have argued that such a mandate was necessary to restore public confidence that only Americans vote in U.S. elections.

“Because our Constitution assigns responsibility for regulating elections to the States and Congress, this Court finds that the President does not have the authority to direct such changes,” Kollar-Kotelly wrote in her opinion.

She further emphasized that on issues related to defining voting qualifications and regulating federal election procedures, “the Constitution assigns no direct role to the President in either area.”

Kollar-Kotelly echoed comments she made when she granted a preliminary injunction on this issue.

The ruling grants the plaintiffs partial summary judgment that bars the proof of citizenship requirement from taking effect. It says the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, which is considering adding the requirement to the federal voter form, has no authority to take action to that effect.

A message seeking comment from the White House was not immediately returned.

The lawsuit filed by the Democratic National Committee and various civil rights groups will continue to allow the judge to consider other challenges to Trump’s order. This includes requiring all mailed ballots to be received, rather than simply postmarked, by Election Day.

Other lawsuits against Trump’s election executive order are pending.

In early April, 19 Democratic attorneys general asked a separate federal court to throw out Trump’s executive order. Washington and Oregon, where virtually all voting is done by mail, have filed their own lawsuits against the order.