A federal court ruled that parts of President Trump’s executive order on voter registration exceed presidential authority and intrude on powers reserved to states and Congress.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

A federal judge on Friday struck down central provisions of President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at strengthening citizenship verification requirements for voter registration and absentee ballot applications, ruling that the White House exceeded its constitutional authority.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said the Constitution assigns responsibility for setting rules governing federal elections to states and Congress, not the president, according to a Fox News report. In her ruling, she permanently blocked enforcement of provisions that would have required documentary proof of U.S. citizenship on federal voter registration forms and absentee ballot applications.

“The Constitution does not allow the President to impose unilateral changes to federal election procedures,” Kollar-Kotelly wrote, concluding that the challenged sections of the order could not be implemented.

Trump signed the executive order, titled Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections, on March 25. The order directed federal agencies to take steps to tighten election-related procedures, including measures intended to verify citizenship status for individuals registering to vote in federal elections.

In her decision, Kollar-Kotelly emphasized that while Congress has authority to regulate aspects of federal elections and states retain broad power over election administration, the president does not have unilateral power to alter election requirements through executive action.

The ruling leaves intact other portions of the executive order that were not challenged in the case, while barring enforcement of the citizenship verification requirements addressed by the court.