A federal judge in Boston on Wednesday permanently barred President Donald Trump’s administration from implementing a proof of citizenship requirement to vote, ruling that the president lacks constitutional authority over elections. U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper’s decision converts a preliminary injunction she issued a year earlier into a final ban on most of Trump’s first executive order on elections.
Judge Casper found that the Constitution grants states and Congress—not the president—the power to regulate elections. “The Constitution does not grant the President any specific powers over elections,” she wrote in her ruling, rejecting arguments that Trump could unilaterally reshape voting rules.
The order blocked multiple provisions from Trump’s March 2025 executive order, according to retrieved reporting. Casper permanently enjoined requirements that would have forced documentary proof of citizenship onto federal voter registration forms, restricted military and overseas voters, and pressured states to reject mail ballots that arrive after Election Day even if they were postmarked on time. The ruling also blocked a provision that would have threatened to withhold federal election funds from states that did not comply.
The case was brought by Democratic-led states challenging Trump’s first major attempt in his second term to seize control over election rules. Casper had temporarily halted the order’s key provisions in June 2025 while the lawsuit proceeded. Wednesday’s decision makes that temporary relief permanent for the multi-state case, adding lasting protections against funding threats and mail ballot restrictions.
The ruling is the latest in a series of court losses for Trump’s election executive order. A separate federal judge in Washington, D.C., had already blocked the proof-of-citizenship requirement on federal voter registration forms in a different lawsuit. Other judges have barred the government from requiring documentary proof of citizenship for military personnel registering to vote or requesting ballots.
Despite these court setbacks, Trump has pursued the proof of citizenship requirement through legislation. The SAVE America Act has passed the Republican-controlled House but stalled in the Senate. On Wednesday, Trump cancelled a bipartisan housing bill signing, saying he will not sign legislation until Congress passes his citizenship voting requirement.
Trump has also signed a second executive order on elections attacking mail-in voting, which is being implemented and separately challenged in courts. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue an opinion soon on whether mail ballots must arrive by Election Day, a decision that could affect grace period rules in 14 states.
Sources
- ABC News — Judge Denise Casper’s permanent ruling, the March 2025 executive order provisions, separation of powers reasoning, and Trump’s legislative push for the SAVE America Act.
- Democracy Docket — Details on provisions blocked (proof of citizenship, military/overseas voter restrictions, mail ballot receipt deadlines, funding threats), the multi-state case, and Trump’s second election executive order.
- AP News — Confirmation of the permanent bar, the preliminary injunction timeline (June 2025 to June 2026), and separate Washington, D.C. court actions on the same issue.
