Official announcements or court filings by the U.S. Department of Justice

Supreme Court's 6-3 Ruling Allows Virginia to Remove 1,600 Suspected Noncitizens from Voter Rolls

Oct 30, 2024, 02:20 PM

On October 30, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, allowed Virginia to proceed with the removal of approximately 1,600 individuals from its voter rolls who are suspected of being noncitizens. The ruling, issued without explanation, overturned lower court orders that had blocked the program for violating a federal 'quiet period' law that prohibits changes to voter rolls within 90 days of an election. The court's three liberal justices—Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson—dissented. The Department of Justice and advocacy groups argued that some eligible citizens might be mistakenly purged. Virginia officials, including Governor Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares, defended the program as essential for maintaining election integrity ahead of the November 5 election by preventing noncitizens from voting.