Judge blocks citizenship proof on federal voter registration form

A federal judge on Friday ruled that President Donald Trump's directive to require documentary proof of citizenship on the federal voter registration form cannot be enforced, finding the measure exceeds presidential authority and violates the constitutional separation of powers. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington, D.C., granted partial summary judgment to the plaintiffs and permanently barred the U.S. Election Assistance Commission from adding the citizenship proof requirement to the national form.

Kollar-Kotelly wrote that the Constitution assigns responsibility for election regulation to the states and to Congress, and that the president lacks authority to impose the change. She emphasized that the Constitution assigns no direct role to the president in setting qualifications for voters or in regulating federal election procedures. The judge had previously issued a preliminary injunction on the same point.

The lawsuit was brought by the Democratic National Committee and several civil rights organizations challenging an executive order the president issued this year aimed at overhauling aspects of U.S. elections. Plaintiffs argued the proof-of-citizenship...