Trump can't require voters to present citizenship docs to register, judge says

A Massachusetts federal judge ruled June 24 that President Donald Trump's requirement that potential voters present documentation proving their citizenship in order to register to vote exceeded his authority.

The ruling marks the latest legal blow to the requirement, which was part of an executive order Trump signed in March 2025. The provision would have required state and local officials to report details of citizenship documentation on a national form used for voter registration applications.

U.S. citizenship is a requirement to vote in America, and registration forms already require people to attest to being a citizen. Some states have argued that requiring applicants to provide documentary proof of their citizenship could pose a significant barrier to voting because several forms of government ID don't include citizenship information, and many Americans don't have passports.

Judge Denise Casper, an Obama appointee, agreed with several Democratic-led states that the requirement exceeded Trump's presidential authority under the Constitution and the National Voter Registration Act, a 1993 law that establishes voter registration procedures.

The Constitution's first article explicitly gives states and Congress power over running elections, but not the president.

"President Trump is committed to ensuring that Americans have full confidence in the administration of our elections," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement.

"The President’s executive order lawfully protects our elections, and we are confident that we will ultimately prevail in its implementation," Jackson added.

The Justice Department declined to comment.

Multiple other courts in the country have also blocked Trump's requirement in recent months after determining it exceeds his authority.

The proof-of-citizenship provision is just one of several election-related requirements Trump has sought to implement during his current administration. Those also include new regulations on mail-in voting that are likewise facing legal challenges.

The election-targeting requirements follow years of baseless claims by the president that elections he or other Republicans lost – including his 2020 presidential election loss to then-former Vice President Joe Biden – were rigged.

(This story has been updated with additional information.)