US Judge Partially Suspends Trump’s Order on Election Reform

A U.S. federal judge has partially blocked an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that sought to implement sweeping election reforms, representing another legal setback for the Trump administration’s agenda.

On Thursday, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued a preliminary injunction halting a key provision of the order that would have mandated voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote at the state level.

The executive order, signed in late March, focused on mail-in voting procedures and threatened to withhold federal funding from states that did not comply.

In her 120-page ruling, Kollar-Kotelly wrote that the plaintiffs — including the Democratic Party — are “substantially likely to prevail” on the merits of the case. “Our Constitution entrusts Congress and the States — not the President — with the authority to regulate federal elections,” she stated.

However, the judge did not block another part of the executive order that mandates states set a deadline for receiving mail-in ballots that aligns with the closing of polls on Election Day.

While U.S. citizenship is a requirement for voting in federal elections, most states allow various methods for verifying voter status and do not universally demand documentation proving citizenship. Critics of the executive order argue that it represents federal overreach and could disenfranchise voters.

Legal experts, including UCLA law professor Richard Hasen, have condemned the measure as an “executive power grab,” warning that it could negatively impact millions of voters and undermine the U.S. electoral system’s decentralized nature.

In a blog post, Hasen called the order “dangerous,” especially given Trump’s continued unsubstantiated claims of election fraud following his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

Since his return to office on January 20, Trump has signed several executive orders, many of which have faced immediate legal challenges. On the same day as Judge Kollar-Kotelly’s ruling, another federal judge blocked a separate Trump order attempting to cut federal funding to “sanctuary cities” that offer protections to undocumented immigrants.