WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal court today blocked the Trump administration’s August 2025 ban on nonprofit organizations helping newly naturalized Americans register to vote, finding that the policy is likely unlawful and unconstitutional. The ruling comes as a result of a lawsuit filed by Elias Law Group on behalf of the National Council of Jewish Women, Greater New Orleans Section (NCJW).
Today’s ruling from Judge Adam B. Abelson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland blocks the Trump administration’s policy nationwide while the case proceeds, restoring a practice that had been in place formally since 2011 and informally for decades before that.
“NCJW has amply shown a likelihood of success on the merits of its claim that the Ban was motivated by discriminatory intent,” Judge Abelson wrote. NCJW was the only plaintiff organization to bring an equal protection claim.
NCJW has regularly provided voter registration assistance at naturalization ceremonies since 2018, registering between 30 and 50 new citizens per event. In August 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) abruptly issued a policy alert barring all nongovernmental organizations from providing voter registration services at administrative naturalization ceremonies, effective immediately.
NCJW brought a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s new policy in November 2025, which was later consolidated with a parallel challenge filed by the League of Women Voters.
“Organizations like the National Council of Jewish Women have been helping newly naturalized citizens join the American electorate for years,” said Elias Law Group partner Aria Branch. “The Trump administration could not tolerate that act of patriotism, so it issued a blanket ban on the longstanding practice of voter registration assistance at naturalization ceremonies. We are proud to represent NCJW in fighting back against a policy that singles out one group of Americans — newly naturalized citizens — and makes it harder for them to vote.”
Read the full opinion here.
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