‘Rogue’ Obama judge’s smackdown of Trump election rules provokes ominous warning from White House deputy
A federal judge appointed by Obama on Tuesday criticized key parts of President Donald Trump’s speech. election integrity That decision led White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to issue a stern warning about the direction of the judiciary.
U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper ruled that significant portions of Trump’s March 25, 2025 executive order titled “Protecting and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections” exceeded presidential authority and violated the Constitution’s separation of powers. Casper found that the order went beyond enforcing existing law and instead sought to create or change election rules on its own.
“While the Constitution grants the President ‘executive authority’ and commands him to ‘take care that the Laws be faithfully executed…’ it does not grant the President any special authority over elections,” Casper wrote in the decision. he wrote. “As a result, the President ‘plays no direct role’ in the appointment of electors and ‘does not have the authority to control the civil servants who undertake this duty.'”
In response, Miller posted on social media that he hoped Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts “understands the path these rogue justices have charted for the judiciary.”
Former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson hold a press conference to discuss election integrity at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on April 12, 2024.
(Getty Images)
While the chief justice serves as the institutional head of the federal judiciary and does not have direct authority over lower court judges, Miller’s reference to Roberts reflected broader conservative criticism that the Supreme Court has not moved aggressively enough to block lower court decisions that have blocked the Trump administration’s policies.
Casper had previously filed a preliminary injunction blocking key provisions of the ruling while the case continued in court. After more than a year of litigation, the judge on Tuesday largely sided with the plaintiff states.
The lawsuit was filed by 19 states that challenged the decision and was heard in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, one of the lead plaintiffs in the case, hailed the decision as a victory for the states.
“We sued President Trump for his unilateral attempt to impose nationwide voting restrictions and won,” Bonta said. “Today, a federal district court ruled that every provision in the Executive Order we challenged was unlawful and reaffirmed that States and Congress have the power to regulate elections.”
Casper’s decision permanently blocks the administration from enforcing provisions in the federal government that require documentary proof of citizenship. voter registration changed voting requirements for military and overseas voters and threatened to withhold federal election-related funds from states that refuse to adopt certain election rules, including not counting ballots received after Election Day.
Casper declared that parts of the decision “are unconstitutional and invalid because they are ultra vires and violate the separation of powers under the law.” United States Constitution“
In addition to finding that the executive order violated the Constitution, Casper concluded that key provisions of Trump’s order conflicted with federal laws, including the National Voter Registration Act and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
Dem States Threaten Lawsuit Minutes After Trump Signed Voter Database Order
A ballot box sits outside Contra Costa County’s election office in Martinez, California, on May 27, 2026. June 2 is the last day to vote in person or return an absentee ballot before California’s statewide primary.
Trump signed the order on March 25, 2025, claiming that stronger safeguards were necessary to ensure election integrity and public confidence in federal elections and that state officials had failed to comply with the order. court decisions and federal law.
white house At the time, he described the directive as an effort to restore confidence in elections and strengthen voter citizenship verification.
“According to the Constitution state governments “It must protect American elections in accordance with Federal laws that protect Americans’ voting rights and protect against illegal voting, discrimination, fraud, and other forms of abuse and error,” the executive order said.
this is Casper second judge to rule against Trump’s executive order.
Voting signs stand outside Friendship Baptist Church, a polling place in Atlanta, Georgia, during the Georgia midterm primary on May 19, 2026.
U.S. District Judge in April 2025 Colleen Kollar-Kotelly blocked portions The order directing federal officials to add proof of citizenship requirements to federal voter registration forms concluded that the Constitution gives Congress and the states, not the president, the authority to regulate federal elections. Casper’s decision went further, rescinding numerous additional provisions regarding voting deadlines, military and overseas voters, and federal funds.
Casper’s decision was as follows Republican lawmakers Continue to push for the SAVE Act, legislation that requires documentary proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. The House passed a version of the measure earlier this year, but the proposal faces an uncertain path in the Senate.
Trump continued to push for the SAVE Act, touting it as a key priority and arguing that: Senate Republicans He must be willing to eliminate fraud to ensure legislation reaches his desk.
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The only remaining issue concerns whether the federal government can add conditions to election-related funding for certain states. The judge gave the parties until July 10 to decide whether to continue litigating this claim.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
Original article source: ‘Rogue’ Obama judge’s crushing of Trump election rules prompts ominous warning from White House lawmaker
