In a stunning blow to election integrity efforts, a federal judge has struck down a Trump administration directive that sought to ensure only American citizens cast ballots in federal elections.
On October 31, 2025, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington, D.C., ruled against an executive order from earlier this year, declaring it unconstitutional and sparking a fierce debate over who truly holds the reins on election rules, as Fox News reports.
Back in March 2025, President Trump signed an executive order mandating that individuals registering to vote in federal elections must provide government-issued proof of citizenship.
This order didn’t stop there—it also pushed the attorney general to collaborate with state election officials to root out fraud and tied federal election funds to states’ compliance with integrity measures.
By April 2025, Judge Kollar-Kotelly had already slapped a preliminary injunction on this policy, signaling early skepticism about its legality.
Then, in June 2025, another federal judge echoed this sentiment, blocking the same order after a challenge from Democratic state attorneys general, further piling on the legal hurdles.
Judge Kollar-Kotelly’s latest ruling on October 31 permanently bars the U.S. Election Assistance Commission from adding this citizenship requirement to federal voter forms.
Her reasoning? The president, she argues, lacks the constitutional power to unilaterally alter federal election procedures, a responsibility she insists belongs to Congress and the states.
“Because our Constitution assigns responsibility for election regulation to the States and to Congress, this Court holds that the President lacks the authority to direct such changes,” Kollar-Kotelly stated. Well, that’s a bold line in the sand, but isn’t it curious how often “constitutional limits” seem to pop up when common-sense voter protections are on the table?
The White House, predictably, didn’t take this sitting down, defending the order as a necessary shield against non-citizen voting.
“President Trump has exercised his lawful authority to ensure only American citizens are casting ballots in American elections,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson asserted. Now, that’s a statement most hardworking Americans would nod to—why should our sacred right to vote be muddled by lax oversight?
“This is so commonsense that only the Democrat Party would file a lawsuit against it,” Jackson added. Ouch, that’s a zinger, and it lands with the weight of a frustrated electorate tired of progressive agendas undermining basic safeguards.
The plaintiffs, including groups like the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Democratic National Committee, and the League of Women Voters Education Fund, cheered the ruling as a victory for their version of fairness.
Yet, this legal saga isn’t over—Judge Kollar-Kotelly will continue scrutinizing other aspects of Trump’s order, keeping the courtroom drama alive.
Meanwhile, the White House remained silent when pressed for further comment by Fox News Digital, perhaps saving their ammunition for what they hope will be a reversal in a higher court.
