Supreme Court Ruling Paves Way for Citizenship Clause in State Voting

By Staff Reporter |

The U.S. Supreme Court has partially upheld Arizona’s law requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration. This decision follows an emergency stay application from GOP leadership in the Arizona House and Senate.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court overruled a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals order that had blocked the law. Federal law does not mandate proof of citizenship for voting in federal elections, a guideline reinforced by a 2013 ruling concerning the National Voting Rights Act (NVRA).

The Court’s recent order allows Arizona to temporarily enforce its citizenship proof requirement for state voter registration forms, even for federal elections, pending a definitive court ruling. This stay applies specifically to certain provisions of Arizona law while denouncing others.

In the split decision, Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch supported granting the full application. In contrast, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett, and Ketanji Brown Jackson disagreed, opting to deny it entirely.

Earlier this month, the Ninth Circuit had reversed a previous ruling that initially permitted the law’s enactment. The court expressed concern that enforcing such requirements would disrupt the status quo close to the elections, potentially causing confusion and hardship for both voters and election officials.

The court noted the “arcane web” of changing rules could deter eligible voters from exercising their right to vote, with an estimated 40,000 federal-only voters in Arizona according to the Secretary of State.

Arizona Senate Republicans hailed the Supreme Court’s partial order as a victory, asserting it reinstates necessary safeguards against the influence of undocumented individuals on elections. They emphasized that only U.S. citizens should have the right to vote.

As the legal proceedings continue, the implications of this ruling on Arizona’s electoral landscape will likely unfold in the coming months.