At the end of 2025, the Trump administration implemented an unlawful policy blocking nonpartisan civic engagement groups from registering new citizens to vote at administrative naturalization ceremonies.
This blatant attempt to silence the voices of Americans has been temporarily blocked following a lawsuit filed by Campaign Legal Center on behalf of the national League of Women Voters (LWV) and a number of state and local Leagues.
Now, civic engagement groups can continue the important work of educating and registering America’s newest citizens at administrative naturalization ceremonies — a longstanding tradition that encourages participation in the political process.
What is the policy blocked by the Court?
In August 2025, President Donald Trump’s United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a rule that prohibits nonpartisan civic engagement groups from providing voter registration and education services to new Americans at administrative naturalization ceremonies.
On August 3, 2026, a United States District Court issued a preliminary injunction and stay under the Administrative Procedures Act temporarily blocking the new rule from going into effect while the case is litigated.
The Court held that the plaintiffs showed that the policy is arbitrary and unreasonable, likely violates the First Amendment and that the government failed to follow the correct procedures in adopting it.
This rule is illegal because it violates the League of Women Voters’ First Amendment rights to free speech and association, and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).
Encouraging voter participation is protected speech under the First Amendment for both individuals and organizations. Helping Americans register to vote and cast their ballot is a protected constitutional right.
The APA requires transparency, notice, and opportunities for public input when enacting new guidance and rules, to protect against unfounded agency actions that could ultimately harm Americans.
USCIS’s restrictive rule fails on both counts. The agency did not engage in the APA’s required notice and comment process before enactment, and its new policy inflicts unreasonable and unnecessary restrictions on civic engagement groups like the League of Women Voters.
That’s why Campaign Legal Center sued.
We cannot have a strong democracy if the federal government is allowed to ignore constitutional rights and existing laws, including those that ensure naturalized citizens can access the ballot box.
Any attempt to limit the freedom to vote is an attempt to silence American voters.
With this victory, nonpartisan civic engagement groups like the League of Women Voters can continue the essential work of registering tens of thousands of new Americans to vote at administrative naturalization ceremonies. We’ll continue to fight in court to make this victory permanent and protect naturalized citizens and the groups that help welcome them into our democracy.