Federal Judge Blocks Trump Proof‑of‑Citizenship Rules in Election Order

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar‑Kotelly on Friday permanently blocked two key proof‑of‑citizenship provisions in President Donald Trump’s wide‑ranging 2025 election executive order, ruling that the Constitution does not allow the president to unilaterally change federal election procedures. The decision bars federal agencies from 'assessing citizenship' before giving federal voter‑registration forms to people enrolling in public‑assistance programs, and stops the Defense Department from requiring documentary proof of citizenship when military personnel register to vote or request ballots. Kollar‑Kotelly grounded the ruling in separation‑of‑powers principles that reserve most election‑rule authority to states and, to a degree, Congress, calling Trump’s unilateral move unconstitutional. The White House defended the order as an 'election security' measure that ensures only citizens vote and vowed to keep fighting in court, even as the judge’s decision joins several other rulings that have already blocked parts of the same executive order. Voting‑rights groups and researchers, including some Republican state officials, continue to note that documented non‑citizen voting is extremely rare, undercutting one of the administration’s main justifications.