Miami judge rules federal noncitizen voting law violates US Constitution

Judge Leibowitz’s decision underscores state jurisdiction over voter qualifications, limiting federal actions.Published On 2 Oct 20262 Oct 2026A United States federal judge has ruled that a law criminalising voting by noncitizens is unconstitutional, dealing a setback for President Donald Trump’s administration as it cracks down on alleged election fraud ahead of November’s midterm elections.US District Judge David Leibowitz in Miami dismissed a federal case on Thursday against Chelsea Cox, a Florida resident originally from Jamaica who had been charged in October 2025 with illegally voting in the 2020 presidential election.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Most Americans say US-Israel war on Iran not worth fighting: Polllist 2 of 3US FCC head says controversial Trump ads do not raise concernslist 3 of 3US-Iran talks continue, but ‘deal unlikely’ before midterm electionsend of listLeibowitz, who was nominated to the bench by former Democratic President Joe Biden, found that under the US Constitution, only individual states, not the US Congress, have the authority to set voter qualifications.Since every state already requires US citizenship to vote, he wrote, it is up to...