Federal judge blocks proof-of-citizenship voting requirement

A federal judge in Boston has permanently blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a documentary proof-of-citizenship requirement for federal voter registration, marking a major setback for the White House’s effort to tighten election rules through executive action.

U.S. District Judge Denise Casper ruled that the Constitution gives states and Congress, not the president, the authority to regulate elections. Her decision converts an earlier preliminary injunction into a permanent ban on the challenged provision.

The requirement was part of a Trump executive order on elections that would have required documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when people registered to vote in federal elections. Under Casper’s ruling, that mandate cannot be put into effect.

What the judge blocked

The ruling does not stop at the proof-of-citizenship requirement. Casper also left in place blocks on other parts of the election order, including provisions tied to mail ballots received after Election Day and federal funding threats aimed at states that do not comply with the administration’s demands.

Those broader provisions had already drawn legal challenges from Democratic state attorneys general, who argued that the president had exceeded his authority by trying to reshape election rules through executive action.

New York Attorney General Letitia James praised the ruling as a defense of voting rights. The administration, by contrast, has argued that stricter citizenship checks are needed for election security.

The dispute also sits against the backdrop of the federal voter registration form itself, which already requires applicants to attest under penalty of perjury that they are U.S. citizens. The fight in court centered on whether the White House could go beyond that attestation and impose a documentary requirement.

How the case got here

This was not the first defeat for the executive order. Casper had previously issued a preliminary block on major parts of it, and the new ruling makes the ban permanent.

AP reported that the permanent ruling was handed down on June 24, 2026, and later same-day coverage from other outlets confirmed the same Boston ruling and its separation-of-powers rationale.

The case is part of a wider legal challenge to the administration’s attempt to use executive authority to change election administration rules. AP has also reported earlier rulings blocking additional citizenship-related provisions in the broader order.

What happens next

The administration may appeal the permanent injunction.

Trump is still pressing Congress to adopt a similar requirement through the SAVE America Act, though AP reports that effort has stalled in the Senate. That leaves the White House with a narrowed legal path and a legislative route that has not advanced.

Separate litigation over other provisions in the election order may continue, and the ruling is likely to remain a reference point in the broader fight over who sets federal election rules.

For now, the Boston decision leaves the documentary proof-of-citizenship mandate off the table and reinforces the court’s view that the president cannot unilaterally change federal election procedures.