US District Judge Denise Casper in Boston has permanently blocked key provisions of President Donald Trump's executive order that sought to overhaul election rules. According to reports from Business Standard, the federal judge converted a preliminary injunction issued last year into a permanent ban, preventing the Trump administration from implementing most of the order. The ruling represents a significant legal victory for opponents of the controversial voter registration requirements, with Judge Casper rejecting the administration's argument that legal challenges were premature because the measures had not yet taken effect. As reported by Business Standard, the ruling came on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, marking a definitive legal setback for the administration's election overhaul efforts.
The blocked provisions included a requirement for voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote. As reported by Business Standard, this requirement was part of the broader executive order that aimed to fundamentally alter how elections are conducted in the United States. The court's permanent injunction effectively prevents the implementation of these specific documentation requirements nationwide, with Judge Casper establishing that Trump's requirements violated the separation of powers doctrine. The ruling comes after a federal judge in Washington, D.C., previously blocked the government from taking steps to include the proof-of-citizenship requirement on the federal voter registration form, and later barred the Secretary of Defense from requiring documentary proof of citizenship when military personnel register to vote or request ballots. According to the latest ruling, the court declared that § 2(a) of the Executive Order is inconsistent with the NVRA and that § 3(d) of the Executive Order is inconsistent with UOCAVA, referencing the National Voter Registration Act and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
Judge Casper ruled that the Constitution assigns authority over elections to states and Congress, not the President. According to the ruling reported by Business Standard, Casper wrote that "The Constitution does not grant the President any specific powers over elections," establishing a clear constitutional precedent regarding election oversight authority. The judge rejected the administration's argument that the lawsuit by Democratic state attorneys general was premature, instead agreeing that the Constitution gives states and Congress the authority to regulate elections. As reported by Business Standard, Judge Casper's ruling reinforces that the Constitution grants states and Congress, not the President, the authority to regulate elections.
The ruling also permanently blocked provisions that would have directed the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to withhold federal election funds from states that did not accept and use the federal voter registration form with Trump's proof of citizenship requirement. According to Business Standard, this funding threat had previously been blocked for Washington state and Oregon in a separate case, but Wednesday's order expands protection to other plaintiff states except Wisconsin. The court warned that eliminating post-Election Day cure periods would risk disenfranchising tens of thousands of voters, particularly affecting military voters, elderly voters, voters with disabilities and voters in rural areas. The injunction applies to plaintiff states with extended mail ballot receipt deadlines, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Rhode Island. The ruling also blocked provisions targeting states that count mail ballots received after Election Day, as long as those ballots were cast on time under state law, citing that disqualifying ballots would disproportionately harm these vulnerable voter groups.
