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Pro-Voter Coalition Sues Over Trump Trying to 'Declare Election Rules by Executive Fiat'
"This executive order, based on nothing but years of disinformation, is blatantly unlawful and a naked attempt to suppress the votes of targeted communities," said LULAC's national president.
Mar 31, 2025
A pro-voter coalition on Monday sued to block U.S. President Donald Trump's recent executive order that critics warn would make it harder for tens of millions of eligible citizens to cast their ballots in state and federal elections.
The Campaign Legal Center (CLC) and State Democracy Defenders Fund (SDDF) sued the executive office of the president and members of Trump's administration in a Washington, D.C. federal court on behalf of three advocacy groups: the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Secure Families Initiative (SFI), and Arizona Students' Association (ASA).
"The president's executive order is an unlawful action that threatens to uproot our tried-and-tested election systems and silence potentially millions of Americans. It is simply not within the president's authority to set election rules by executive decree, especially when they would restrict access to voting in this way," said Danielle Lang, senior director of voting rights at CLC.
"Donald Trump is attempting to wrongfully impede voting by millions of Americans with this latest unlawful executive order."
As the complaint puts it: "Under our Constitution, the president does not dictate election rules. States and Congress do... Through the order, the president attempts to exercise powers that the Constitution withholds from him and instead assigns to the states and to Congress. The order violates and subverts the separation of powers by lawlessly arrogating to the president authority to declare election rules by executive fiat."
Trump's order includes provisions enabling the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Department of Homeland Security to subpoena voting records for "list maintenance," restricting mail-in voting, and requiring the Election Assistance Commission to include documentary proof of citizenship on the federal voting form.
"Donald Trump is attempting to wrongfully impede voting by millions of Americans with this latest unlawful executive order. But it will not work. In America voters get to pick their president—presidents don't get to pick their voters, declared SDDF co-founder and executive chair Norm Eisen. "We are proud to stand up for the ability of every American voter to cast their ballots freely and fairly through this litigation."
Advocacy group leaders detailed how provisions in Trump's order would impact various communities if the directive isn't struck down.
"Military families, veterans, caregivers, and overseas voters deserve secure access to the very democracy we serve to protect—no matter where we're stationed or how we serve," said SFI executive director Sarah Streyder. "This new order would mean that the veteran who is a full-time caretaker at home, who has done everything right, may now be shut out of the ballot box due to outdated paperwork."
"This new order would mean that the military family stationed on the other side of the world from home, who crossed every t and dotted every i—their military ID will no longer suffice, and due to mail delays outside of their control, their ballot will never count," Streyder warned.
Roman Palomares, LULAC's national president, declared that "this executive order, based on nothing but years of disinformation, is blatantly unlawful and a naked attempt to suppress the votes of targeted communities—disproportionately impacting the Latino community."
"We are proud to join this coalition seeking to stop the effort to silence the voice and votes of the U.S. electorate—and particularly of voters of color," Palomares continued. "Our democracy depends on all voters feeling confident that they can vote freely and that their vote will be counted accurately."
Trump orders states to open voter files to Musk. Exec Order will cost 21 million their vote. ▶️ Get the full story: www.gregpalast.com/trump-execut...
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— Greg Palast (@gregpalast.bsky.social) March 30, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Kyle Nitschke, co-executive director of Arizona Students' Association, highlighted that some states have imposed voter suppression laws similar to Trump's executive order (EO).
"The Arizona Students' Association has seen firsthand what these egregious citizenship requirements really are, an attempt to suppress the vote. In Arizona we have a dual-track federal registration system, and the voters being affected by citizenship requirements are college students registering to vote for the first time, unsheltered voters, and Native voters, Nitschke said. "There are already extensive citizenship checks in place when registering to vote, Trump's EO is a clear attack on our voting rights. Our student members believe we should live in a country where it's accessible and convenient to be a part of democracy."
The Associated Pressnoted that "Monday's lawsuit against Trump's elections order could be just the first of many challenges. Other voting rights advocates have said they're considering legal action, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Democratic attorney Marc Elias. Several Democratic state attorneys general have said they are looking closely at the order and suspect it is illegal."
Monday evening, the Democratic National Committee, Democratic Governors Association, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) announced that they also filed a suit against the order in the D.C. court. They are represented by Elias Law Group.
"This executive order is an unconstitutional power grab from Donald Trump that attacks vote by mail, gives DOGE sensitive personal information, and makes it harder for states to run their own free and fair elections," they said in a joint statement. "It will even make it harder for military members serving overseas and married women who have changed their name to have their votes count."
"Donald Trump and DOGE are doing this as an attempt to rationalize their repeatedly debunked conspiracy theories and set the groundwork to throw out legal votes and ignore election outcomes they do not like," they added. "It's anti-American and Democrats are using every tool at our disposal—including taking Trump to court—to stop this illegal overreach that undermines our democracy."
The pro-voter lawsuits are also among several legal challenges to Trump's long list of executive actions since January 20. As Common Dreamsreported earlier Monday, the National Treasury Employees Union filed a federal suit in the same D.C. court over Trump's recent order that aims to strip collective bargaining rights from hundreds of thousands of government workers.
It's not just the Trump administration that's working to make it more difficult for Americans to participate in democracy. Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are also planning to hold a vote on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act this week.
"If the bill passes, more than 21 million Americans could be blocked from voting," the Brennan Center for Justice warned on social media Monday. "The SAVE Act would be the first voter suppression bill ever passed by Congress. Lawmakers should be protecting the freedom to vote—not restricting it. We urge Congress to reject the SAVE Act."
This article has been updated to include the Democratic lawsuit.
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Third Judge Blocks Trump's 'Wildly Unconstitutional' Attack on Birthright Citizenship
"While this is just the first of many similar challenges we will face over the coming years, it is an important one because it again reaffirms the fundamental civil rights of American citizens," said one advocate.
Feb 10, 2025
Democracy defenders and migrant rights groups celebrated on Monday after a New Hampshire-based federal judge temporarily blocked Republican U.S. President Donald Trump's attempt to end birthright citizenship for children of people who are not in the country legally, the third to do so in under three weeks.
"Today's ruling is the latest rebuke of President Trump's wildly unconstitutional bid to end birthright citizenship," said Cody Wofsy, who is deputy director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project and argued the case. "This attempt to deny babies their citizenship is as illegal as it is inhumane, and we will keep fighting until we stop this order for good."
Opponents of Trump's executive order argue that it clearly conflicts with the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and over a century of legal precedent. The new preliminary injunction from District Judge Joseph Laplante followed similar decisions by Judge John Coughenour in Washington state and Judge Deborah Boardman in Maryland.
"Birthright citizenship is a pillar of our democracy, and no president can simply erase it from our Constitution."
According toThe Associated Press, "At least nine lawsuits have been filed to challenge the birthright citizenship order."
Laplante, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush, found that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits of their claims and to suffer irreparable harm if he didn't block Trump's order. The judge also concluded that potential harm to plaintiffs absent any action outweighed possible damage to defendants, and that issuing the injunction was in the public interest.
This challenge against Trump's order was launched by the ACLU and the group's Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire arms as well as the Asian Law Caucus (ALC), State Democracy Defenders Fund, and Legal Defense Fund on behalf of New Hampshire Indonesian Community Support, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and Make the Road New York.
"Today's injunction reaffirms what we already know: that birthright citizenship is a pillar of our democracy, and no president can simply erase it from our Constitution," said Jose Lopez, co-executive director of the grassroots group Make the Road New York.
"Our members come from all over the world with courage and resilience to make better lives for their families," Lopez continued. "We are grateful that this injunction means that their children will be treated equally to anyone else born in this country. It is what we all deserve, and we will keep fighting to make sure it is a reality."
ALC executive director Aarti Kohli similarly welcomed that "Trump's unconstitutional executive order is blocked for now, affirming the rights of thousands of Asian immigrants—working parents, asylum-seekers, students—who came here to find opportunity and safety."
Kohli also pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court's 1898 decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, in which the majority ruled that under the 14th Amendment, a young man born in California to Chinese citizen parents was an American.
"Instead of improving living conditions for all, this administration is creating chaos and fear to further a divisive agenda," she said. "Just as Wong Kim Ark and his community came together over a century ago, we will continue to fight for the freedom to create a better life for our loved ones."
Trump's order to end birthright citizenship is just part of his sweeping assault on migrants. Since returning to office last month, he's also effectively shut down the asylum process at the southern border, reinstated the "Remain in Mexico" policy, and pursued a mass deportation plan that involves locking up migrants in federal prisons and at the U.S. naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
Juan Proaño, chief executive officer of LULAC, tied the injunction out of New Hampshire to the broader fight against Trump.
"Today's ruling further confirms that American citizens are indeed American citizens and that no one, not even a president, can take that away," said Proaño. "While this is just the first of many similar challenges we will face over the coming years, it is an important one because it again reaffirms the fundamental civil rights of American citizens and their immigrant family members."
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Immigrant Rights Group Gives Harris Its First-Ever Presidential Endorsement
"Former President Trump and extremist politicians have promised mass deportations, the erosion of fundamental rights, and four more years of white supremacist ideology," said the head of Make the Road Action.
Aug 15, 2024
Facing the specter of draconian policies including mass deportations of undocumented immigrants under a potential second term for former U.S. President Donald Trump, a major progressive Latine-led advocacy group on Thursday announced its first-ever general election presidential endorsement, for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
"Our democracy is at a crossroads. Former President Trump and extremist politicians have promised mass deportations, the erosion of fundamental rights, and four more years of white supremacist ideology," said Theo Oshiro, executive director of Make the Road Action, in a statement announcing the group's endorsement.
"In the face of this assault on freedom, equality, and dignity, Vice President Kamala Harris is the clear choice for voters this November," Oshiro continued. "This election is about our collective vision of what this country can become. We are working toward a future where all people have the freedom to stay with their loved ones, the freedom to transform their lives, and the freedom to thrive."
"That vision is only possible under a President Harris," he stressed. "We will fight to ensure that she is elected and will hold her accountable to deliver for immigrant and working-class communities."
Latine Americans could play a decisive role in key swing states including Nevada, where they make up nearly 1 in 5 of all voters, and Pennsylvania, where an estimated 615,000 Latine residents are eligible to vote. President Joe Biden won Nevada by fewer than 50,000 votes in 2020 and Pennsylvania by 80,000 votes.
Human rights defenders fear a second Trump term could be even more harmful to undocumented immigrants than his previous White House tenure, during which the Republican president—who launched his 2016 campaign by calling Mexicans rapists and drug dealers—enacted policies including ramped-up deportations; migrant family separation; imprisonment of children in cages; and banning people from several Muslim countries, Venezuela, and North Korea from entering the United States.
"I firmly believe this endorsement marks a pivotal moment for our membership," said Antonio Garcia of Make the Road Action Nevada. "The stakes couldn't be higher as we endorse Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate [Minnesota Gov.] Tim Walz, signifying a bold step forward."
"This election isn't merely about individuals; it's a watershed moment in history that will profoundly influence our community's future," Garcia continued. "It compels us to choose unity over division, to take a stand on the right side of history."
"Electing the first woman of color as president of the United States fills me with immense pride, knowing my vote contributes to this historic change," he added. "More than responding to the times, being part of this movement means we are actively forging a better future. We are committed to holding our leaders accountable, ensuring they uphold their promises to our immigrant and working-class communities."
In an effort to blunt attacks by Trump and other Republicans over what they falsely claim are the Biden administration's "open borders" policies, Harris has positioned herself as a border hawk. The narrator of a new Harris campaign ad titled "Tougher" says that "as vice president, she backed the toughest border control bill in decades, and as president, she will hire thousands more border agents and crack down on fentanyl and human trafficking. Fixing the border is tough. So is Kamala Harris."
According to a YouGov-Statista Research poll published last month, immigration is the second-most important issue to U.S. voters after inflation and prices.
Last week, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the nation's largest and oldest Latine civil rights organization, endorsed Harris—the first time the group has endorsed a presidential candidate since its founding in 1929.
Harris has also been endorsed by Latine advocacy groups including Mi Familia Vota, Voto Latino, and UnidosUS Action Fund.
Another group making its first-ever presidential endorsement for Harris is the youth-led gun control campaign March for Our Lives.
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