A federal judge has struck down key provisions of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump aimed at enhancing election integrity, ruling that the order overstepped presidential authority and violated the Constitution's separation of powers. U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper stated that the order attempted to create new election rules rather than enforce existing laws.
In her ruling, Casper found that "the Constitution vests the President with 'executive Power' ... it does not grant the President any specific powers over elections." She added that the president "plays no direct role in the process" of appointing electors and lacks the authority to control state officials responsible for them.
The executive order, titled "Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections," was issued on March 25, 2025. It sought to implement stronger safeguards for federal elections, with the administration at the time describing it as an effort to restore trust and strengthen voter citizenship verification. The order stated that while state governments are responsible for safeguarding elections in compliance with federal laws, the United States had not adequately enforced federal election requirements, such as prohibiting states from counting ballots received after Election Day or allowing non-citizens to register to vote.
Casper's ruling permanently blocks the administration from enforcing sections of the order that would have required documentary proof of citizenship on the federal voter registration form, altered voting requirements for military and overseas voters, and threatened to withhold federal election-related funding from states that did not adopt certain election rules, including adhering to Election Day ballot receipt deadlines.
The lawsuit challenging the order was brought by 19 states, with California Attorney General Rob Bonta hailing the decision as a victory. "Today, a federal district court ruled that every provision we challenged in the Executive Order is unlawful and reaffirmed that the power to regulate elections is reserved to the States and Congress," Bonta said.
This is not the first judicial challenge to the order. In April 2025, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly blocked portions related to proof-of-citizenship requirements for federal voter registration forms, citing the Constitution's grant of authority to Congress and states to regulate federal elections.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller responded to the ruling by expressing concern about the judiciary's direction, posting on social media a hope that Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts "understands the path these rogue judges have charted for the judiciary." The reference to Roberts highlighted broader conservative criticisms that the Supreme Court has not been sufficiently assertive in curbing lower-court rulings that impede Trump administration policies.
The court gave parties until July 10 to determine whether to continue litigating the remaining issue concerning whether the federal government can attach conditions to election-related funding for certain states.