Federal Court Orders Trump to Answer on Actions Taken for Anti-Voting Order

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to respond to questions from the Democratic Party and pro-voting groups on how it has implemented his March anti-voting executive order — and fast.

The U.S. District Court for D.C. ruled Friday that the Trump administration must answer a revised set of interrogatories submitted by voting rights plaintiffs challenging Executive Order 14248, a controversial order that plaintiffs say threatens to disenfranchise millions of Americans.

In her order, Chief Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, appointed by former President Bill Clinton, said the court’s “interests of justice are best served by a prompt ruling” and directed the federal government to produce answers by August 15.

“At this stage, it is proper for Plaintiffs to serve targeted interrogatories to determine ‘what actions have been taken to implement’ specific provisions of Executive Order 14248,” Kollar-Kotelly wrote. “The Court shall allow the Democratic Party Plaintiffs and LULAC Plaintiffs to propound interrogatories that focus narrowly on actions that the Federal Defendants have already taken to implement Executive Order 14248.”

That executive order attempts to force proof of citizenship requirement for federal voter registration, penalize states that allow mail-in ballots to arrive after Election Day and tie election funding to politically motivated compliance measures.

Kollar-Kotelly also warned the Trump administration that future objections by administration on the grounds of “deliberative process privilege” — a legal protection for internal government discussions — “will be viewed with disfavor.”

Plaintiffs have until August 19 to file follow-up motions if they believe the government’s answers are insufficient.

The ruling comes as Trump appealed a separate court order blocking core provisions of the same executive order. On Thursday, Trump asked the First Circuit Court of Appeals to review a June injunction which temporarily halted mandates requiring documentary proof of citizenship, targeting mail-in ballots, and imposing verification rules at public assistance agencies.