The Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday requested the U.S. Supreme Court “deny” Republicans’ bid to enforce an Arizona law requiring individuals to prove they’re U.S. citizens when registering and voting in elections.
Arguing on behalf of the administration, U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar requested that the nation’s highest court instead allow a lower court decision — one prohibiting the implementation of provisions of the statute in question — to remain in effect for the November election.
As The Federalist previously reported, the 2022 law mandated residents to show documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC) when registering via state voter registration forms. The statute also required such proof for individuals submitting mail-in ballots and voting in presidential contests.
(In Arizona, individuals who do not provide DPOC when registering to vote are permitted to do so as “federal-only voters” and cast ballots in federal elections).
The Republican National Committee and Arizona’s GOP legislative leadership filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court on Aug. 8, asking the justices to place a stay on the lower 9th Circuit Court’s decision and allow the law’s DPOC requirements to take effect for the 2024 election. Nearly half the country’s state attorneys general and several conservative organizations have since filed amicus briefs with the high court requesting a stay be issued.
In the DOJ’s Friday filing, Prelogar claimed “applicants are not entitled to a stay” and encouraged the court to “deny” such a request. Specifically, she argued that “judicial intervention at this stage would undermine the orderly
