{"id":2669136,"date":"2026-09-24T12:02:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T16:02:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaign6th-circuit-greenlights-ohios-proof-of-citizenship-law-for-midterms\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T12:04:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T16:04:35","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaign6th-circuit-greenlights-ohios-proof-of-citizenship-law-for-midterms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaign6th-circuit-greenlights-ohios-proof-of-citizenship-law-for-midterms\/","title":{"rendered":"6th Circuit Greenlights Ohio&#8217;s Proof-Of-Citizenship Law"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaign6th-circuit-greenlights-ohios-proof-of-citizenship-law-for-midterms%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2669136&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A federal appellate court, the 6th Circuit, ruled that Ohio can enforce its law requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration in the upcoming midterm elections. This decision reversed a preliminary injunction previously issued by a district judge, which had temporarily blocked the law. The court justified its ruling by stating that Ohio is highly likely to succeed in overturning the injunction, citing concerns about jurisdiction and the potential mootness of the challengers&#8217; case as they had already registered and obtained driver&#8217;s licenses. The majority also noted that the injunction could interfere with election processes close to voting deadlines and that the state&#8217;s law aligns with existing voting rights laws. In dissent, a judge argued that ohio might not easily succeed and that the challengers had standing. The ruling received support from election integrity groups,emphasizing the importance of verifying voter identities to ensure election security.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Ohio_welcome_sign_(2019).jpg\">EEJCC\/Wikimedia Commons\/<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/deed.en\">CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/24\/6th-circuit-greenlights-ohios-proof-of-citizenship-law-for-midterms\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=6th Circuit Greenlights Ohio\u2019s Proof-Of-Citizenship Law For Midterms&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/24\/6th-circuit-greenlights-ohios-proof-of-citizenship-law-for-midterms\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=6th Circuit Greenlights Ohio\u2019s Proof-Of-Citizenship Law For Midterms&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/24\/6th-circuit-greenlights-ohios-proof-of-citizenship-law-for-midterms\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/24\/6th-circuit-greenlights-ohios-proof-of-citizenship-law-for-midterms\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=6th Circuit Greenlights Ohio\u2019s Proof-Of-Citizenship Law For Midterms&#038;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/24\/6th-circuit-greenlights-ohios-proof-of-citizenship-law-for-midterms\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\">                     <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); pfTrackEvent(&#039;6th Circuit Greenlights Ohio\u2019s Proof-Of-Citizenship Law For Midterms&#039;); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\">                     <span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span>                     <\/a>                 <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div class=\"pf-content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/department-of-energy-may-consider-whether-scientist-is-a-minority-when-awarding-grants\/\" title=\"Department Of Energy \u2018May Consider\u2019 Whether Scientist Is A Minority When Awarding Grants\">federal appellate court ruled<\/a> on Wednesday that Ohio can enforce its law requiring proof-of-citizenship to vote in the midterm elections. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.ca6.159891\/gov.uscourts.ca6.159891.23.0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2-1 decision<\/a>, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals paused a preliminary injunction <a href=\"https:\/\/law.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/district-courts\/ohio\/ohndce\/1:2025cv01760\/320201\/57\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">issued<\/a> by Ohio-based Senior District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. last month. The Obama appointee\u2019s order sought to block the Buckeye State from enforcing its statutory requirement that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignexclusive-election-integrity-groups-ask-court-to-uphold-ohios-proof-of-citizenship-law\/\" title=\"Groups Ask Court To Uphold ...&#039;s Proof-Of-Citizenship Law\">individuals provide documentary proof-<\/a>of-citizenship when registering to vote.<\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-79409138\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courthousenews.com\/judge-freezes-ohio-proof-of-citizenship-voter-registration-requirement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">described<\/a> by Courthouse News, Oliver argued that the contested provision is \u201cpreempted by the National Voter Registration Act and increases the likelihood that U.S. citizens fail to register for elections.\u201d The injunction also suspended \u201cthe requirement for documentation ahead of the Oct. 5 registration deadline for the midterm election.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After initial review, 6th Circuit Judges John Nalbandian and Whitney Hermandorfer, both Trump appointees, determined that the four factors used to decide whether to stay Oliver\u2019s order all favor Ohio. Such factors include the likelihood that Ohio \u201cwill defeat the injunction,\u201d the \u201cirreparable harm\u201d Ohio will suffer if the injunction is allowed to remain in place, \u201cthe prospect of harm to others,\u201d and \u201cthe public interest.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt this juncture, Ohio appears primed to succeed in vacating the injunction on threshold grounds. Because those grounds are sufficient to warrant entry of a stay, we need not address the merits of the district court\u2019s NVRA analysis,\u201d the majority ruled. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nalbandian and Hermandorfer went on to note that Oliver likely lacked jurisdiction to enter a preliminary injunction and that the left-wing challengers likely lacked standing to bring their suit. The judges also determined that the challengers\u2019 lawsuit suffers from a \u201cproblem of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/wex\/moot\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mootness<\/a>\u201d because they have already \u201cobtained Ohio drivees licenses and registered to vote.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The majority furthermore raised concerns that Oliver\u2019s injunction \u201cappears to run afoul\u201d of the <em>Purcell<\/em> principle, a judicial doctrine that says federal courts should avoid changing state election rules on the eve of an election. \u201cRecent <em>Purcell<\/em> precedents,\u201d the court ruled, \u201ccut in favor of a stay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOn balance, the stay factors support Ohio\u2019s request for relief. We therefore GRANT Ohio\u2019s motion for a stay of the district court\u2019s injunction pending appeal. We DENY Ohio\u2019s motion for entry of an administrative stay as moot,\u201d the court wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Writing in dissent, Judge Kevin Ritz, a Biden appointee, argued that Ohio is \u201cnot likely to show that the district court in any way abused its discretion.\u201d Unlike his colleagues, he claimed that the challengers likely possess standing to bring their suit, that the case is not moot, and that the stay factors weigh against Ohio. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ohio enjoyed support from election integrity groups such as the Honest Elections Project and the Center for Election Confidence ahead of Wednesday\u2019s ruling. Both organizations <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/18\/exclusive-election-integrity-groups-ask-court-to-uphold-ohios-proof-of-citizenship-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">filed a joint brief<\/a> asking the 6th Circuit to pause Oliver\u2019s injunction for several of the reasons cited by the majority in its decision. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags no-print bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/6th-circuit-court-of-appeals\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">6th Circuit Court of Appeals<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/court-ruling\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">court ruling<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/documentary-proof-of-citizenship\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">documentary proof of citizenship<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/election-integrity\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">election integrity<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/elections\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/noncitizen-voting\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">noncitizen voting<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/ohio\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Ohio<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/voter-id\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">voter ID<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/voter-registration\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">voter registration<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ohio can enforce voter citizenship proof law, court rules<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2669137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Ohio-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[86183,7161,51639,4333,4351],"class_list":["post-2669136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-6th-circuit","tag-citizenship","tag-law-2","tag-ohio","tag-voting"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Ohio-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2669136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2669136"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2669136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2669140,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2669136\/revisions\/2669140"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2669137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2669136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2669136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2669136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}