Judge Restricts DHS Election Operations in Nine States

A federal judge has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to halt election-related field operations in nine states when they involve people officials know or suspect are U.S. citizens, finding that the practice likely violates the Voting Rights Act. The restriction is scheduled to remain in force through Election Day, but its implementation is stayed until 5 p.m. Friday to give the federal government time to appeal. U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín issued the order in the Northern District of California. It applies to California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin. DHS is barred from conducting election-related field operations and interviews likely to involve people agency officials know, suspect, or reasonably should know or suspect are U.S. citizens. The case was brought by groups including the California Nurses Association and National Nurses United, which argued that the operations could intimidate eligible voters and people who help others participate in elections. The judge found the plaintiffs likely to succeed on their claim that DHS’s conduct violated the Voting Rights Act’s prohibition on...