A federal judge on Friday blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to require documentary proof of citizenship on federal voter registration forms, ruling that the directive is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington, D.C., sided with Democratic and civil rights groups who argued the mandate exceeded presidential authority.

The judge wrote that election regulation powers belong to Congress and the states, not the president, and permanently barred the U.S. Election Assistance Commission from enforcing the requirement. The decision marks a major setback for Trump’s election overhaul order, which his administration said was aimed at restoring confidence in the voting system.

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