The U.S. Supreme Court has sided with Virginia, allowing the state to remove noncitizen voters from its rolls. This decision comes after a multistate coalition, led by Attorney General Ken Paxton and his counterparts in 25 other states, filed an amicus brief in support of the Commonwealth's effort to uphold its prerogative to maintain the integrity of its voter lists. The brief argued that the actions taken by the federal government significantly compromised the states' abilities to autonomously establish and enforce voter qualifications, according to the Attorney General of Texas.
The controversy began when the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit on October 11 to prevent Virginia from removing self-identified noncitizens from its voter rolls. This move was met with resistance, inspiring Attorney General Paxton to swiftly join the legal foray, asserting his belief that such federal interference was a direct affront to states' sovereign duties. "The Biden-Harris Administration sued Virginia to force them to put noncitizens back on the voter rolls while the Election is already under way. It is not only a federal crime for noncitizens to vote but for them to even register to vote in the first place," Paxton stated. "The Supreme Court did the right thing," as reported by the Attorney General of Texas.
The legal tussle peaked on Friday, when a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction, temporarily halting Virginia's endeavor to cleanse its voter rolls of noncitizens. However, the Supreme Court's decision to stay the lower court's injunction has now cleared the path for Virginia to proceed with its voter roll revision, in a move assumed to maintain the sanctity of the electoral process, as per the Attorney General of Texas.
Virginia's application was granted by the high court, effectively rendering the federal government's bid to keep noncitizens on the voter rolls null and void. This move, as advocated by Paxton and his multistate coalition, emphasizes the critical nature of states' rights to independently ensure that only eligible U.S. citizens are participating in the election process. The Supreme Court's action not only reaffirms Virginia's authority in this matter but also sets a precedent for how future disputes over voter qualification may be resolved.
