Supreme Court clears way for Virginia to remove 1,600 alleged noncitizens from voter rolls
Updated on: October 30, 2024 / 1:06 PM EDT / CBS News
Washington — The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed Virginia to move forward with its removal of roughly 1,600 alleged noncitizens from its voter rolls just days before the 2024 election.
The high court granted a request from state officials to pause a lower court order that blocked Virginia from continuing its voter removal program that was launched in August, exactly 90 days before Election Day. A provision of the National Voter Registration Act requires states to complete programs aimed at purging ineligible voters from registration lists up to 90 days before federal elections.
Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson said they would have denied the request from Virginia officials.
A Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement that “the department brought this suit to ensure that every eligible American citizen can vote in our elections. We disagree with the Supreme Court’s order.”
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, cheered the decision as a “victory for commonsense and election fairness.”
Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson said they would have denied the request from Virginia officials.
A Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement that “the department brought this suit to ensure that every eligible American citizen can vote in our elections. We disagree with the Supreme Court’s order.”
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, cheered the decision as a “victory for commonsense and election fairness.”