A federal judge has permanently blocked key provisions of US President Donald Trump's executive order that sought to overhaul election rules, including a requirement for voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote, AP reported.
US District Judge Denise Casper in Boston on Wednesday converted a preliminary injunction issued last year into a permanent ban, preventing the Trump administration from implementing most of the order.
Rejecting the administration's argument that legal challenges were premature because the measures had not yet taken effect, Casper ruled that the Constitution assigns authority over elections to states and Congress.
“The Constitution does not grant the President any specific powers over elections,” Casper wrote in her ruling.
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Trump's executive order proposed a series of election-related changes, including requiring documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration, disallowing mail-in ballots received after Election Day even if postmarked on time, and withholding certain federal funds from states that failed to comply.
The ruling marks the latest legal setback for Trump's election agenda during his second term. Several provisions of the executive order have already been blocked by federal courts in separate cases brought by civil rights groups and Democratic Party-aligned organisations.
Trump has since issued another executive order aimed at creating a national voter list and restricting mail voting, a move that also faces multiple legal challenges.
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Meanwhile, the President is backing legislation in the Republican-controlled Congress to establish a nationwide proof-of-citizenship voting requirement. The SAVE America Act has cleared the House of Representatives but remains stalled in the Senate.
On Wednesday, Trump also cancelled the planned signing of a bipartisan housing bill, saying he would not sign legislation until Congress passes a proof-of-citizenship voting mandate.
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