Breaking: SCOTUS Rules AZ Voters Must Prove Citizenship

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an emergency stay vacating a previous ruling by a radical Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals three-judge panel that is likely to send shock waves across the nation ahead of the 2024 presidential election. On August 1, 2024, the panel overturned a previous unanimous ruling by the same court upholding Arizona’s proof-of-citizenship requirement for voters in Mi Familia v. Adrian Fontes.

Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen filed the emergency application to block individuals in Arizona from using a state form to register to vote without proof of citizenship, effectively allowing illegal immigrants to vote in federal elections.

The radical-left group Mi Familia Vota sought to overturn the Arizona law that would effectively allow illegal immigrants to vote in federal elections. They challenged two laws passed by the Legislature in 2022, restricting voters without proper documentation confirming legal citizenship. The laws intended to cure a lack of federal laws preventing non-citizens from voting. Republicans claim that such a failure damages the “security of our democratic process” due to the potential for millions of illegal immigrants to register to vote and “influence the outcome of our elections.” They blame the Biden-Harris Administration for allowing millions of people to enter the country illegally without safeguarding the voter roles.

President Petersen issued a press release addressing the ruling: “Our legal battle is far from over. While we’re grateful SCOTUS recognized our state’s sovereignty by allowing our laws requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote in Arizona be enforced, individuals who are living here illegally are still able to register on a federal form without providing proof of citizenship. They must only attest they are lawful citizens, then they are able to vote in the presidential and congressional races, as well as by mail, thus influencing the outcome of our elections. We will continue litigating this issue in the coming months with a goal of ensuring only legal U.S. citizens are casting a ballot.”

It’s unclear how many illegal immigrants successfully registered to vote during the two weeks the court suspended the ruling. Moreover, it is unclear whether anyone who registered can be identified and removed from the voter roles in time for the November 5, 2024, election.