Supreme Court OKs proof of citizenship requirement to vote in Arizona

PHOENIX, Ariz. (TND) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday partially allowed a Republican request to require proof of citizenship for voters in Arizona.

The 5-4 decision green-lights a portion of a 2022 state law requiring officials to toss voter registration forms that don't provide proof of citizenship. The court opted not to enforce other components of the law despite being urged to do so by theRepublican National Committee.

Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch fought for complete enforcement, while Amy Coney Barrett joined the dissenting liberal judges.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley cheered the ruling in a statement via X.

“Huge win: the Supreme Court just ruled that the state of Arizona must REJECT state voter registration forms without proof of US citizenship,” Whatley wrote. “This follows an emergency SCOTUS appeal from the RNC. A seismic win in the fight to stop non-citizens from voting -- more to come!”

Many Republicans have placed a renewedfocuson election integrity as the November presidential election approaches. Arizona is expected to play a significant role in the race for the White House, with RealClearPolitics ranking Arizona and Pennsylvania as the two most narrowly contested battleground states.

While it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections, the issue has evolved into a hot political topic amid GOP skepticism about the sanctity of U.S. elections.

Rep. Joseph Morelle, D-N.Y., said in May measures further prohibiting noncitizens from voting aren’t "about law and order.”

“It’s about laying the foundation for the next big lie,” Rep. Morelle said. “It’s about saying that illegal voting is the cause of an election defeat.”

Follow Jackson Walker on X at @_jlwalker_ for the latest trending national news. Have a news tip? Send it to jacwalker@sbgtv.com.

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