A federal judge on Wednesday permanently blocked key provisions of President Donald Trump's executive order on elections, including a requirement that individuals provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote.
The ruling landed as Trump appeared to escalate a showdown with Congress, pressing an ultimatum over a major bipartisan housing bill and demanding action on the SAVE America Act on Capitol Hill.
U.S. District Judge Denise Casper, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, ruled that Trump lacked the constitutional authority to impose the requirements through executive action, according to reporting by Newsweek and The Associated Press.
Casper said the Constitution gives Congress and the states, not the president, primary authority over federal election rules.
The executive order challenged in court was issued in March as part of a broader White House effort to tighten election-security rules nationwide.
According to the White House, the order sought to require proof of U.S. citizenship for federal voter registration and directed federal agencies to take additional steps to safeguard elections.
Casper's ruling is the latest in a series of court decisions limiting implementation of the order.
Other federal courts have previously blocked portions of the directive, finding that Congress had not delegated such authority to the executive branch.
Trump traveled to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to lobby Senate Republicans on the SAVE Act.
The legislation would require individuals registering to vote in federal elections to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a passport, birth certificate, or naturalization papers.
The bill also would require states to establish procedures to verify the citizenship status of registered voters.
Reuters reported that Trump urged lawmakers to make the measure a top priority despite its uncertain prospects in the Senate.
The president also delayed signing a major bipartisan housing package, saying he would not move forward unless Congress advances the SAVE America Act, effectively tying the unrelated measure to his election-security demands.
Supporters of the SAVE Act argue the measure would provide the statutory authority for citizenship-verification requirements that courts have ruled cannot be imposed unilaterally by a president.
The court's decision is likely to bolster Trump's argument that Congress must enact election-security reforms if his administration's voter-citizenship requirements are to survive legal challenges.
The ruling lands at a politically sensitive moment for the White House, which has made election integrity a major domestic priority heading into the 2026 midterm elections.
Democrats and voting-rights groups have opposed the SAVE Act, arguing it could create barriers for eligible voters who lack immediate access to citizenship documents.
The decision raises the stakes in the battle over the legislation as Trump presses lawmakers to enact election-security reforms before the midterm elections.