Judge blocks Trump effort to pull election funding for states that don't adjust voting forms [View all]

Source: Politico

01/09/2026 09:04 PM ESTUpdated: 01/09/2026 11:38 PM EST


A federal judge has barred the Trump administration from threatening to withhold federal election funding for states that refuse to alter their voter registration forms or voting systems to President Donald Trump’s liking.

U.S. District Judge John Chun ruled Friday that Trump’s threat to pull Election Assistance Commission funds was an attempt to put unconstitutional pressure on states even though the president — by design — has no formal power to determine how states administer elections. “The President has no authority to unilaterally impose new conditions on federal funds,” Chun wrote in a 75-page ruling.

Chun, a Seattle-based Biden appointee, is the third federal judge to block large portions of Trump’s March 25 Executive Order purporting to require states to alter their election processes. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, a Washington, D.C.-based Obama appointee, in April blocked portions of the order forcing states to adopt new standards for voters’ proof of citizenship and a series of enforcement mechanisms. And U.S. District Judge Denise Casper, a Massachusetts-based Obama appointee, in June blocked provisions seeking to punish states that count ballots that arrive after Election Day.

The Trump administration has appealed Kollar-Kotelly’s and Casper’s rulings. Both appeals remain pending.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/09/election-trump-order-ruling-00721151