Reversing course, court blocks Arizona proof-of-citizenship voting law

Arizonans without proof of citizenship are once more able to vote in the 2024 federal election. The change came after a federal court reversed itself to prevent "chaos" in the upcoming election.

Two of the three judges on a panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a different three-judge panel that earlier blocked the law. The first three-judge panel was the Ninth Circuit's panel tasked with initial rulings on pending motions.

In reversing the first panel, the second panel "concluded the other judges should never have made such a radical change in voting registration rules so soon before the election, saying it would cause chaos," the Arizona Daily Star reported.

The reversal restores an order by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton.

Bolton "concluded that federal law specifically allowed people to register to vote in federal elections without the same kind of proof that Arizona requires of those wanting to cast ballots in state or local elections."

Arizona state Senate President Warren Petersen castigated "the radical 9th Circuit" for its decision.

"They routinely engage in judicial warfare to carry out their extremist liberal agenda that’s contrary to the laws our citizens elected us to implement," the Republican said.