The Supreme Court ruled by a 5-4 margin to partially approve a request from the Republican National Committee that would make people in Arizona show proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote.
Conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett however voted against the measure and sided with the liberal justices. Coney Barrett previously broke ranks with her conservative counterparts on the bench when they ruled in favor of Ohio against the EPA regarding its ‘Good Neighbor’ plan to limit air pollutants.
The majority allowed for one of three provisions of Arizona voting law to be enforced, however three conservative justices—Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch—said they would have allowed all three provisions to be enforced. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh were the holds outs.
The court kept on hold separate provisions that could have disqualified certain voters from casting ballots in a presidential contest or by mail. That means Arizona voters can still register using a federal form and vote.
Some 42,301 voters in Arizona were only registered to vote in federal elections, which may be indicative of how many voters did not present proof of citizenship on their state voter registration forms, according to the Arizona secretary of state’s office.
In 2020, President Joe Biden won Arizona by 10,457 votes.
Read full story at The Daily Beast.
