Key Metrics
14.11
Heat Index-
Impact LevelMedium
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Scope LevelNational
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Last Update2025-11-04
Key Impacts
Event Overview
The decision underscores the limitations on executive power and the importance of maintaining established administrative procedures. It highlights a legal challenge to unilateral changes in federal voter registration, emphasizing the role of bipartisan oversight in election processes.
Collect Records
Federal Judge Permanently Blocks Trump's Executive Order on Voter Registration
A federal judge in Washington, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, has permanently blocked the enforcement of an executive order by former President Donald Trump. The order, issued in March, required proof of citizenship on federal voter registration forms and mandated the Elections Assistance Commission to implement these changes nationwide. The court ruled that President Trump does not have the power to alter the federal form, as this authority is exclusively delegated to a bipartisan, independent commission. The Elections Assistance Commission, established by Congress in 2002, aids with elections, and according to the Elections Clause of the Constitution, states have the primary authority to regulate elections, while Congress has supervisory power. The President does not have a role in this process. Republicans had previously attempted to pass the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship for voter registration, but it failed in the Senate. This year, Trump sought to implement the policy through executive action, bypassing Congress, based on a flawed belief that presidents can enforce policies without legislative approval.