WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s executive order requiring major changes to the way Americans vote suffered another courtroom defeat, this time in a suit brought by Democratic state attorneys general who disputed the government’s claims of widespread voter fraud.

Chief U.S. District Judge Denise Casper in Boston on Wednesday issued a permanent injunction barring the Trump administration from enforcing the most controversial provisions of the executive order, in one of several cases that may ultimately be resolved by the Supreme Court.

The ruling strikes down Trump’s demands that states require proof of citizenship to vote and refrain from counting valid mail-in ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but arrive after.

“There is no evidence in this record of widespread illegal voting, discrimination, fraud, and other forms of malfeasance and error within American elections, which the executive order purports to safeguard against,” Casper said.

The ruling comes as Trump continues to press Congress to pass the “Save America” bill, which would require voters to show photo identification and present proof of U.S. citizenship. Trump on Wednesday scrapped plans to sign a bipartisan housing bill until Congress passes the voting restrictions, which have previously failed to pass the Senate.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the fight over voting is “far from over,” as Trump “has made clear today” with his remarks about election legislation.

Letitia James, the attorney general of New York, blasted the executive order as an attempt to “seize control of our elections.”

‘Sacred right’

“As we approach this year’s midterms, I will continue doing everything in my power to protect free and fair elections and defend the sacred right to vote for New Yorkers and all Americans,” James said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

The Justice Department said in a court filing in January that the attorneys general were overstating the harm that would be caused by the executive order and “misunderstand the executive power afforded to the president” under the Constitution.

Casper’s ruling is the latest setback for Trump’s March 25, 2025, executive order, entitled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections.” Trump has long argued, without evidence, that millions of undocumented immigrants vote illegally for Democrats.

Casper had previously blocked the executive order on a temporary basis while the case proceeded. A judge in a related case last year permanently blocked the voter-ID provision of the executive order, prompting an appeal by the government.

The states argued in their complaint that Trump’s order violates the Constitution by usurping their authority to manage elections. They also say the order would disenfranchise voters who don’t have a passport or other proof of citizenship, and force states to disqualify potentially millions of legitimate absentee ballots.

“While the Constitution vests the president with executive power and commands him to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, it does not grant the president any specific powers over elections,” the judge wrote.

_____

©2026 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.