A contentious legal battle over election integrity in Arizona has intensified following a recent ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. 

On August 1, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit overturned a prior decision that required proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. This ruling, which was decided in a narrow 2-1 vote, now allows individuals to register to vote using a state form, without having to provide citizenship documentation for federal positions such as President and Congress.

The law, enacted by Arizona's Republican-led Legislature in 2022, was designed to prevent non-citizens from voting by mandating proof of citizenship if registering to vote with the state. The initial emergency stay, issued on July 18 by a different Ninth Circuit panel, had supported this requirement. 

The Ninth Circuit's recent decision further dismantles the already fragile safeguards meant to protect our elections. Previously, while federal ballots could be exploited due to a lack of citizenship proof, there was at least some measure of security through state forms. Now, with both federal and state registration forms free from proof of citizenship, it's even easier for noncitizens to cast ballots in federal elections. This ruling not only weakens Arizona's attempts to ensure election integrity but also represents a troubling regression in our efforts to maintain genuine voter authenticity.

In other words, they didn't even need this ruling to circumvent the previous ruling. This is akin to purely just rubbing it in. As Arizona State Senate President Warren Petersen put it, this is 'judicial warfare' meant to circumvent the will of the American people. They plan to send the case to the Supreme Court for appeal.

"This is just another example of why the radical Ninth Circuit is the most overturned circuit in the nation," said Senate President Warren Petersen. "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. We will seek assistance from the Supreme Court to ensure only American citizens are voting in our elections. If this principle is not followed, democracy as we know it, and as our Founding Fathers intended, is in jeopardy."