In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order which demands that individuals show proof of citizenship before they can register to vote.

However, a Democrat-appointed federal judge moved this week to block that provision from coming into effect. 

Judge weighs in

According to Fox News, that decision was handed down on Thursday by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who was nominated by former President Bill Clinton to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

"Our Constitution entrusts Congress and the States — not the President — with the authority to regulate federal elections," Kollar-Kotelly wrote.

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"Consistent with that allocation of power, Congress is currently debating legislation that would effect many of the changes the President purports to order," she continued.

"No statutory delegation of authority to the Executive Branch permits the President to short-circuit Congress’s deliberative process by executive order," the judge stressed.

SAVE Act's requirements scrutinized

The legislation Kollar-Kotelly referenced is the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which echoes the executive order’s requirement that prospective voters present proof of citizenship.

This can be done via U.S. passport, a REAL ID or military, state or federally issued identification indicating American citizenship.

The legislation passed the House of Representatives earlier this month, a fact which was touted by Georgia Republican Rep. Allen as necessary since "many states continue to find non-citizens on their voter rolls."

He argued that the SAVE Act "ensures only American citizens decide American elections by requiring in-person proof of U.S. citizenship when individuals register to vote in federal elections."

Kollar-Kotelly permits parts of order

Kollar-Kotelly's ruling came in response to a challenge brought by three groups of plaintiffs who are challenging the validity of Trump's order.

They had also requested that she enjoin other elements of the order, including those covering mail-in ballots and data collection on citizenship status, something which the judge refused to do.

Kollar-Kotelly concluded that those challenges are "premature" and that state courts would be better suited to address them.

Fox News noted that this was not the only legal setback that the Trump administration has suffered in recent days, as judges in New Hampshire and Maryland recently blocked new rules regarding DEI policies in educational institutions.