Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Executive Order on Election Rules, Says Only Congress Can Mandate Voting Changes
by Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – A federal judge in Massachusetts issued a sweeping injunction on Friday against President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at imposing new national election rules, ruling that the president lacks constitutional authority to unilaterally change federal voting requirements.
U.S. District Judge Denise Casper, an Obama appointee, sided with a coalition of Democrat-led states led by California, declaring that the Constitution vests election authority with Congress—not the president. Her ruling halts key elements of Trump’s March 25 executive order, including requirements for documentary proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections and a cutoff for counting mail-in ballots at the close of Election Day.
“The Constitution does not grant the president any specific powers over elections,” Judge Casper wrote, calling Trump’s attempt to impose sweeping changes by executive order a direct violation of the separation of powers.
Trump’s order had sought to ban states from accepting mailed ballots that arrive after Election Day, even if postmarked on time, and to mandate that all voter registrations include documented proof of U.S. citizenship. While it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections, most states currently only require registrants to attest to their citizenship.
The judge also blocked Trump’s attempt to force the Defense Department to require proof of citizenship for U.S. troops voting from abroad and rejected any conditioning of federal election grants on states’ compliance with the new rules.
“There is no dispute… that U.S. citizenship is required to vote,” Casper noted. “But the president cannot bypass Congress or the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), which is subject to public notice and comment requirements before changing voter registration procedures.”
This marks the second legal defeat for Trump’s election overhaul. A federal judge in Washington previously struck down parts of the executive order in April, but Friday’s ruling goes further in scope, effectively freezing the core enforcement mechanisms of the directive.
The decision also represents a political victory for California Governor Gavin Newsom, who just a day earlier saw a different federal judge block Trump’s effort to federalize the National Guard to address civil unrest in Los Angeles—though that decision is pending appeal.
In defense of the order, the Trump administration argued that the changes were necessary to ensure “free, fair, and honest elections.” Justice Department lawyers insisted the plaintiffs misrepresented the order, which they claimed simply aimed to create national consistency on voter eligibility and mail-in ballot deadlines.
However, Judge Casper concluded that the president cannot bypass existing federal statutes and constitutional frameworks. Her ruling emphasized that while election security is a legitimate concern, it must be pursued through lawful, democratic processes.
The White House has not yet announced whether it will appeal the ruling.
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