Judge Blocks Trump from Requiring Proof of Citizenship on Voter Registration Forms

A federal judge blocked President Donald Trump’s efforts to protect election integrity by requiring proof of United States citizenship on voter registration forms, finding that Trump “lacks the authority to direct such changes.”

In a decision by U.S. District Judge Collen Kollar-Kotelly on Friday, Kollar-Kotelly “sided with Democratic and civil rights groups that sued the Trump administration” after the President issued an executive order in March entitled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” according to the Associated Press.

Kollar-Kotelly, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, claimed in her decision that “the proof-of-citizenship directive is an unconstitutional violation of the separation of powers,” and argued that “on matters related to setting qualifications for voting and regulating federal election procedures,” the U.S. Constitution doesn’t give a “direct role to the President in either domain,” according to the outlet.

“Because our Constitution assigns responsibility for election regulation to the States and to Congress, this Court holds that the President lacks the authority to direct such changes,” Kollar-Kotelly said.

Under Trump’s executive order from March, the U.S. was criticized for failing “to enforce basic and necessary election protections,” while countries such as India and Brazil have been tying voter identification to a biometric database.” In comparison, the U.S. was noted to still largely rely “on self-attestation for citizenship.”

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