A federal judge has ruled against President Trump’s executive order requiring proof of citizenship to vote. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Denise L. Casper found that executive authority granted to the President by the Constitution did not authorize the imposition of voting standards.
“Our Constitution vests control over federal elections in the States, subject to some oversight by Congress,” Judge Casper said in her ruling. “While the Constitution vests the President with ‘executive power’ and commands him to ‘take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed,’ it does not grant the President any specific powers over elections.”
The original Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections executive order was signed by President Trump in March, 2025 with the stated goal of ensuring “the right of American citizens to have their votes properly counted and tabulated, without illegal dilution.”
The order contained multiple provisions to bolster election security, including a requirement for documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to vote in federal elections, and a ban on counting mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day.
Judge Casper’s ruling formalizes an injunction granted against President Trump’s executive order last year. The ruling followed shortly after President Trump’s announcement on Wednesday that he would not sign a bipartisan housing bill until the SAVE AMERICA ACT, which codifies the provisions of the original executive order, was passed into law by Congress.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump stressed the urgency of passing the legislation.
“Today’s Housing News Conference and Signing is hereby cancelled until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency,” President Trump said.
