Citizens go through the voting process at Scheig Center & Gardens on Election Day on Nov. 5, 2024, in Appleton, Wisc. (Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)
The attorneys general said the directive "usurps the States’ constitutional power and seeks to amend election law by fiat."
The White House defended the order as "standing up for free, fair and honest elections" and called proof of citizenship a "commonsense" requirement.
"Despite pioneering self-government, the United States now fails to enforce basic and necessary election protections employed by modern, developed nations, as well as those still developing," Trump wrote in the executive order, titled "Preserving and protecting the integrity of American elections."
"India and Brazil, for example, are tying voter identification to a biometric database, while the United States largely relies on self-attestation for citizenship. In tabulating votes, Germany and Canada require use of paper ballots, counted in public by local officials, which substantially reduces the number of disputes as compared to the American patchwork of voting methods that can lead to basic chain-of-custody problems," he continued.
TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER REQUIRING PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS
President Donald Trump holds an executive orders after signing a series of orders on American energy production during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on April 8, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
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The ruling is the second legal setback for Trump’s election order. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., previously blocked parts of the directive, including the proof-of-citizenship requirement for the federal voter registration form.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/second-federal-judge-sides-against-trumps-election-executive-order