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Irish Independent
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
US judge blocks Trump from overhauling federal elections
Administration had sought changes including requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote and a ban on counting postal ballots that are received after election day ©Reuters A federal judge yesterday blocked US president Donald Trump's administration from implementing parts of his sweeping executive order overhauling federal elections, including by requiring proof of US citizenship to register to vote and barring states from counting mail-in ballots received after election day. US District Judge Denise Casper in Boston issued a preliminary injunction at the behest of 19 Democratic-led states which had argued that the Republican president lacked the authority to mandate changes to elections and the states' voting procedures.
CNA
a day ago
- Politics
- CNA
US judge blocks Trump election order, says states can count late mail-in ballots
BOSTON: A federal judge on Friday (Jun 13) blocked key elements of US President Donald Trump's executive order overhauling federal elections, ruling that several provisions likely violated the Constitution and intruded on state powers to regulate voting procedures. US District Judge Denise Casper in Boston granted a preliminary injunction sought by 19 Democrat-led states, pausing enforcement of parts of the March 25 order. The ruling prevents the federal government from mandating documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and from banning states from counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day. 'The Constitution does not grant the president any specific powers over elections,' wrote Casper, an appointee of former President Barack Obama. 'The authority for election requirements is in the hands of Congress.' Casper ruled that 13 states that allow mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day could continue to count those votes, saying federal election law requires that ballots be cast, not necessarily received, by that day. She also barred the Department of Justice from pursuing civil or criminal enforcement actions against states that do not comply with Trump's order. The ruling marks a significant setback for the Trump administration, which had argued the executive order was a vital step toward ensuring election integrity. It also builds on a previous ruling in Washington that had already blocked portions of the order. Casper's decision also halts efforts by the US Election Assistance Commission to revise the federal voter registration form to require documentary proof of citizenship, an action she said Congress had never authorised. 'No one disputes that US citizenship is required to vote in federal elections,' she wrote, 'but Congress has not imposed a documentary proof requirement.' The executive order came as part of Trump's broader push to reshape election rules following his defeat to Joe Biden in 2020, a loss he has repeatedly, and falsely, claimed was due to massive voter fraud. REPUBLICANS VOW TO KEEP PUSHING CHANGES White House spokesperson Harrison Fields responded by saying that the president 'will keep fighting for election integrity, despite Democrat objections that reveal their disdain for commonsense safeguards like verifying citizenship.' 'Free and fair elections are the bedrock of our constitutional republic, and we're confident in securing an ultimate victory in the courtroom,' Fields added. Trump had announced the executive order as necessary to 'straighten out our elections,' citing unsubstantiated concerns over voting by non-citizens. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who co-led the legal challenge, called the court's decision 'a win for democracy.' 'This ruling stops an unconstitutional attempt to interfere with states' fundamental responsibilities to manage and administer our elections,' Bonta said in a statement.
Deccan Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
US judge blocks Trump administration from overhauling federal elections
US District Judge Denise Casper in Boston issued a preliminary injunction at the behest of 19 Democratic-led states who argued the president lacked the authority to mandate changes to federal elections and the states' voting procedures.
CBS News
a day ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Second judge blocks portions of Trump's executive order seeking to overhaul U.S. elections
Can Trump tell states how to run their elections with new executive order? Washington — A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked President Trump's administration from implementing portions of his executive order that imposed new requirements involving proof of citizenship to register to vote in U.S. elections. U.S. District Judge Denise Casper agreed to grant a preliminary injunction sought by attorneys general from 19 states, who brought their legal challenge to Mr. Trump's executive order in April and sought to block sections of it. Casper is the second judge to prevent the Trump administration from implementing provisions of the executive order, which aimed to overhaul U.S. elections. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., agreed in April to issue a preliminary injunction in a trio of cases brought by voting rights groups and the Democratic Party. "There is no dispute (nor could there be) that U.S. citizenship is required to vote in federal elections and the federal voter registration forms require attestation of citizenship," Casper wrote. "The issue here is whether the president can require documentary proof of citizenship where the authority for election requirements is in the hands of Congress, its statutes ... do not require it, and the statutorily created [Election Assistance Commission] is required to go through a notice and comment period and consult with the States before implementing any changes to the federal forms for voter registration." The judge's decision blocks the Trump administration from implementing five sections of the executive order, including a provision that mandates the Election Assistance Commission, a federal independent regulatory commission, to require documentary proof of citizenship in the standardized national voter registration form. Casper said that the executive order's instruction for the EAC to add a documentary proof of citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form "conflicts with the will of Congress, rendering the president's power 'at its lowest ebb.'" This is a developing story and will be updated.
Reuters
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US judge appears open to blocking Trump's election overhaul order
June 6 (Reuters) - A federal judge appeared open on Friday to blocking enforcement of U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping executive order overhauling elections that calls for requiring voters to prove they are U.S. citizens and barring states from counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day. At a hearing in Boston before U.S. District Judge Denise Casper, a lawyer for the Trump administration argued the Republican president's order was lawful and that any request by 19 Democratic-led states challenging it was premature. But Casper said those states were under pressure to comply with Trump's order before voting begins in the 2026 federal election cycle and that 13 of them that accept mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day say they could be sued by the U.S. Department of Justice unless she issues an injunction. "Why isn't that warranted now?" Casper asked a Justice Department attorney. Justice Department lawyer Bridget O'Hickey responded by calling the prospect of her department suing speculative. While Trump's order calls for Attorney General Pam Bondi to take "all necessary action" to enforce Trump's directive, O'Hickey said she could just send a letter encouraging compliance. O'Hickey also said the states' claims that a part of Trump's order tasking the U.S. Election Assistance Commission with updating the federal voter registration form to require people to submit proof they are U.S. citizens are not ripe as the panel had yet to do so. "At this point there is no final rule for the court to review," she said. But Casper said Trump's order contained "mandatory language" requiring the change to the form, despite requirements that changes go through notice-and-comment rulemaking processes first after the states are consulted. She pressed O'Hickey on what grounds "a president can direct actions by the executive branch that contradict that statutory scheme." Casper did not immediately rule on the states' request for a preliminary injunction, saying she would "give the matter more thought." The lawsuit is one of several across the nation challenging Trump's March 25 executive order, which he signed after years of raising doubts about the integrity of the U.S. electoral system and falsely claiming that his 2020 loss to Democratic former President Joe Biden resulted from widespread voter fraud. Part of Trump's order has already been blocked by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington, who at the behest of voting rights groups and Democrats on April 24 blocked enforcement of the provision requiring changes to the voter registration form and for federal election officials to assess whether people who are registering to vote are citizens. During Friday's hearing, California Deputy Attorney General Anne Bellows urged Casper to block not just those provisions but also importantly the one mandating ballots be received by Election Day. She said Trump's order relied on an "egregiously wrong" decision last year by a conservative panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declaring it illegal for states to count mail-in ballots received after Election Day, even if they are postmarked by then. "The president has no Constitutional authority to set rules for federal election because the Constitution gives that authority to the states and Congress," Bellows said. The case is State of California v. Trump, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, No. 25-cv-10810. For the states: Anne Bellows and Kevin Quade of the California Department of Justice For the federal government: Bridget O'Hickey of the U.S. Department of Justice Read more: Democratic-led states sue over Trump's order overhauling elections Judge partly blocks Trump order that claimed greater control over US elections
