The U.S. Supreme Court, split along ideological lines, granted an emergency request from Virginia on Wednesday to continue removing suspected noncitizens from its voter rolls, suspending a federal district court order that had previously halted the program. The decision allows Virginia to maintain its voter roll purge just days ahead of a major election, a move opposed by the federal government and advocacy groups who argue it wrongfully strips eligible citizens of their voting rights.
Court Decision Divides Justices, Permits Voter Roll Purge
Without providing specific reasoning, the Supreme Court’s majority approved Virginia’s request to override an order from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The lower court’s ruling had paused the state’s efforts to eliminate “self-identified noncitizens” from its voter rolls and required the state to re-register 1,600 previously removed individuals. Virginia officials argued that the order would compel them to violate state law prohibiting noncitizen voting, while opponents insisted the voter roll purge risked disenfranchising U.S. citizens.
