President Donald Trump has had a portion of his executive order on election integrity that requires proof of citizenship to register to vote – blocked by a federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
According to Fox News, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and Clinton appointee issued the ruling following lawsuits from three distinct plaintiff groups, who challenged five provisions of the March 25 executive order.
Requests to block three of these provisions were dismissed by Kollar-Kotelly, however, she blocked two other provisions that relate to showing proof of citizenship.
The first provision aims to mandate the Election Assistance Commission to modify national voter registration forms, adding a requirement for documentary proof of citizenship, while the second provision sought to obligate federal agencies providing voter registration services to individuals on public assistance to evaluate their citizenship status beforehand.
“Our Constitution entrusts Congress and the States – not the President – with the authority to regulate federal elections. Consistent with that allocation of power, Congress is currently debating legislation that would effect many of the changes the President purports to order,” Kollar-Kotelly wrote in her order. “No statutory delegation of authority to the Executive Branch permits the President to short-circuit Congress’s deliberative process by executive order.”
The judge added that she would not block the other provisions that covered mail-in ballots and data collection on citizen status and noted this should be addressed at the state level.
In March, the House of Representatives passed a bill that backed Trump executive order and would require proof of citizenship before a person can register to vote. It will move to the Senate for a decision before it can move to the president’s desk for signing.
Fox News further reported that two other federal judges in Maryland and New Hampshire have blocked another of Trump’s executive orders Thursday, that would shut down diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in public K-12 schools.
