Appeals court upholds ruling blocking Arizona’s proof of citizenship provisions

A federal appeals court upheld a previous ruling that blocked Arizona’s proof of citizenship provision for voter registration.

The ruling came from the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals and upholds a lower court’s ruling that blocked 2022 laws signed by then-Gov. Doug Ducey (R).

The court said in its ruling that the laws violated the National Voter Registration Act, the Civil Rights Act and an Equal Protection Clause in the Constitution, among other provisions.

The three-judge panel ruled 2-1 over the matter, with Judge Patrick Bumatay, a Trump nominee, dissenting. It was first reported by NBC News.

State Sen. Warren Petersen (R) said online after the ruling that he would be appealing “yet again” to the Supreme Court and would not stop until the proof of citizenship is upheld.

Last year, the Supreme Court partially agreed to an emergency request made by the Republican National Committee to revive a state voter registration law that required applicants to show proof of citizenship.

In its ruling on Tuesday, the appeal’s court sent another law back to district court to determine if it was signed into law with the intention to discriminate.

Last Spring, a district judge ruled that state legislators did not discriminate when they adopted the 2022 voting laws after the state experienced voting security scrutiny in 2020. The judge determined that the rules violated part of the Civil Rights Act and the National Voter Registration Act but that lawmakers were not intentionally discriminating against certain voters when making the legislation.

Groups immediately challenged the law after it was signed by Ducey, arguing that thousands of people already registered could be prevented from voting.

The state has a history of voter discrimination, including literacy tests that excluded Native American and Latino voters from participating in elections. Arizona also has had voter roll purges, which made it more difficult for minorities to re-register to vote.

Topics

Arizona laws ordering citizenship proof struck down by appeals court

A federal appeals court struck down provisions in two Arizona voting laws that sought to increase proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration.
NBC News - 10h
US court upholds Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes’s conviction

Holmes, who is serving nine years, attempted to overturn conviction over multimillion-dollar investor fraud scandal. A US court upheld the conviction of the Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes ...
The Guardian - 3d
Shackles and a bullet-proof vest - Luigi Mangione reappears in court over CEO 'murder'

His lawyer argued during the hearing that her client - wearing a bulletproof vest - was being treated unfairly.
BBC News - 6d
Birkenstock Loses Copyright Battle in German Court Ruling

The famous sandal company lost a battle over copyright law, leaving room for imitations to spawn.
The New York Times - Feb. 20
Supreme Court blocks order for Trump to release $2B in foreign aid

The Supreme Court has blocked a judge’s order that the Trump administration release $2 billion in frozen foreign aid funds. It comes as President Donald Trump held his first cabinet where Elon Musk ...
NBC News - 20h
Balatro and others re-rated by PEGI after successful appeal, prompting a rule revision

The popular deckbuilding game has won its most important hand yet with a victory over the European ratings board, which objected to its content.
VentureBeat - 3d
Trump Administration Stalls Scientific Research Despite Court Ruling

Using an arcane law, officials have effectively delayed funding from the National Institutes of Health, leaving medical studies in jeopardy.
The New York Times - 6d
Claims of white genocide 'not real', South African court rules

Donald Trump has been raising the alarm over the number of white farmers killed in the country.
BBC News - 2d
Supreme Court Poised to Rule for Straight Woman in Discrimination Case

Justices across the ideological spectrum and lawyers on both sides agreed that an appeals court erred in requiring members of majority groups to meet a heightened burden.
The New York Times - 1d