DOJ Drops Legal Battle Over Arizona’s Citizenship Verification Laws

By Staff Reporter |

The Trump administration has decided to withdraw its legal challenge against Arizona’s documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC) laws. This significant shift was marked by a brief filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday, signaling an end to the ongoing court battle.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, recently sworn in to her role within the Civil Rights Division, filed the motion the day after taking office. Timothy Courchaine, who serves as the Interim Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, has also been involved in these proceedings.

State Senate President Warren Petersen praised the DOJ’s decision as a “major win for election integrity and the rule of law.” Notably, he had previously sent a letter to the DOJ urging them to end the lawsuit.

“The @azsenategop and @azhousegop will continue to defend this law against the special interest groups challenging it,” Petersen remarked in a statement.

The ongoing case, Mi Familia Vota v. Fontes, is currently before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Arizona’s DPOC laws stipulate that any registration submissions lacking documentation would be automatically rejected. Additionally, voters who fail to provide proof of citizenship are prohibited from voting for president or submitting mail-in ballots. The laws also require mandatory fields for a registrant’s birthplace and a checkbox confirming U.S. citizenship.

In August, the Ninth Circuit ruled against Arizona, stating that the state must accept voter registration forms without the required DPOC. The DOJ’s recent motion continues the Trump administration’s broader trend of dismissing legal challenges to election laws from the previous Biden administration. In recent months, the DOJ has also dropped similar lawsuits concerning election-related issues in Texas, Georgia, and Louisiana.

President Trump and his administration previously sought to enforce proof of citizenship requirements in elections, which has drawn opposition from key Democratic leaders in Arizona. Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, along with Attorney General Kris Mayes, previously initiated a lawsuit against the Trump administration over executive orders mandating DPOC for federal voter registration and requiring ballots to be submitted by Election Day.

Recently, Fontes and Mayes held a press conference to address their lawsuit, accusing Trump of encroaching on both states’ rights and congressional authority regarding electoral processes. They emphasized that any changes to election laws should be proposed in Congress rather than imposed through executive action. “If President Trump wanted to make laws, then he should have run for Congress,” Fontes stated. Mayes added, “Clearly, Trump only supports states’ rights when it suits him.”

In related developments, the Arizona Court of Appeals last month ruled against the Elections Procedure Manual crafted by Secretary of State Fontes, which would have relaxed the verification requirements for DPOC.