NORFOLK, Va. — A federal judge ruled Friday to block an executive order by Gov. Youngkin that sought to remove non-citizen voters from voter rolls.
More than 1,600 people in Virginia were removed from voter rolls after Youngkin issued the order in August.
The Dept. of Justice and other groups sued earlier this month, saying voters were being illegally removed from the rolls.
Watch previous coverage: More than 1,600 voters have registration revoked under Virginia program targeting noncitizens
Under the National Voter Registration Act, there must be a 90-day "quiet period" ahead of elections for maintenance of the voter rolls.
"The governor and the Commonwealth were aware of the law and went ahead with the purge anyway and we're certainly glad the judge stopped it today," said Brent Ferguson, an attorney with the Campaign Legal Center.
The judge's ruling requires the people whose names were removed to be reinstated and says no one else can be removed from voters rolls under the basis of the executive order.
"This is something that we cannot allow to just happen arbitrarily. We need to protect the sacred right of voting," said Joan Porte from the League of Women Voters of Virginia.
Gov. Youngkin released a statement saying, "Let’s be clear about what just happened: only eleven days before a Presidential election, a federal judge ordered Virginia to reinstate over 1,500 individuals–who self-identified themselves as noncitizens–back onto the voter rolls. Almost all these individuals had previously presented immigration documents confirming their noncitizen status, a fact recently verified by federal authorities."
He said Virginia will immediately appeal the ruling to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and if necessary, the U.S. Supreme Court.
