Judge permanently bars Trump proof-of-citizenship voting order

Wednesday, June 24, 2026Confirmed

Politics Desk

What we know

U.S. District Judge Denise Casper in Boston on Wednesday permanently blocked the Trump administration from enforcing most provisions of the president’s March 2025 elections executive order, including a requirement that people show documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote and rules that would reject mail ballots arriving after Election Day.

The 59-page ruling converts a preliminary injunction Casper issued about a year earlier into a permanent ban. Nineteen Democratic state attorneys general had sued. Casper held that the Constitution assigns election regulation to the states and Congress, not the president, and said the Justice Department failed to show the widespread fraud the order purported to address.

What's confirmed

Casper (D. Mass.): permanent injunction against key sections of Executive Order 14248, including proof-of-citizenship registration and Election Day mail-ballot receipt conditioning (AP/ABC/NBC/Guardian).
Court: president lacks specific constitutional power over elections; separation-of-powers violation found (ABC/AP).
Order also sought to withhold certain federal election funds from noncompliant states; those provisions remain blocked (AP/NBC).
Separate D.C. challenges previously limited related proof-of-citizenship steps on the federal form and military registration; a second Trump elections order still faces other suits (AP/NBC).

What's still developing

Whether the administration appeals to the First Circuit.
Status of parallel challenges to Trump’s later national voter-list / mail-ballot executive order.

Sources

AP News — Federal judge bars Trump from proof of citizenship requirement to vote link
ABC News — Judge permanently blocks Trump EO requiring proof of citizenship to vote link
NBC News — Federal judge bars Trump’s proof-of-citizenship requirement for voting link
The Guardian — Federal judge blocks Trump effort to make voters show proof of citizenship link