A federal judge in Boston on Wednesday permanently barred President Donald Trump’s administration from implementing most of his first executive order on elections, ruling that the Constitution gives states and Congress—not the President—authority over voting rules and election administration.
U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper converted a preliminary injunction she issued a year ago into a permanent ban on the order Trump signed in March 2025. The ruling blocks the administration from requiring people to provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote, preventing mail ballots from being counted if they arrive after Election Day even if postmarked on time, and withholding federal money from states that don’t comply with the changes.
“The Constitution does not grant the President any specific powers over elections,” Casper wrote in her decision. The judge rejected the administration’s argument that the lawsuit was premature because the rules had not yet been implemented, agreeing instead that the executive order violated the separation of powers.
This is the latest in a string of court defeats for the election order Trump signed just months after taking office for his second term. Last fall, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., blocked the government from including a proof-of-citizenship requirement on the federal voter registration form. Another judge later barred the Secretary of Defense from requiring documentary proof of citizenship when military personnel register to vote or request ballots.
Faced with legal obstacles to executive action, Trump has shifted strategy. He is pushing legislation in the Republican-controlled Congress to create a citizenship proof mandate through the SAVE America Act, which has passed the House but stalled in the Senate. On Wednesday, Trump abruptly cancelled the expected signing of a bipartisan housing bill, saying he won’t sign legislation until Congress passes his proof-of-citizenship requirement for voting.
In a statement, New York Attorney General Letitia James, who led the challenge to the order, said she was grateful the court had blocked Trump’s “unconstitutional attempt to seize control of our elections” and vowed to continue defending voting rights in the year’s midterm elections. “Generations of Americans fought tirelessly for the right to vote, and we honor their legacy by protecting that right against anyone who tries to undermine it,” she said.
The Supreme Court is also weighing related election questions. It is due to issue an opinion soon on whether mail ballots must arrive by Election Day, a ruling that could immediately change the rules in 14 states that allow grace periods ranging from days to weeks if ballots are postmarked by Election Day.
Sources
- ABC News — Judge Denise Casper’s permanent bar on Trump’s citizenship proof requirement, the original executive order’s provisions, and Trump’s legislative push for the SAVE Act
- AP News — Judge Casper’s ruling converting preliminary injunction to permanent ban, separation of powers analysis, and other federal judges’ prior rulings blocking related provisions
- Bloomberg Law News — Confirmation of Judge Denise L. Casper’s ruling and constitutional authority analysis
