WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal court today issued a final judgment permanently striking down the Trump administration’s August 2025 ban on nonprofit organizations helping newly naturalized Americans register to vote, finding that the ban was unlawful, unconstitutional, and likely motivated by discriminatory intent. Today’s judgment came in a lawsuit filed by Elias Law Group attorneys last year on behalf of the National Council of Jewish Women, Greater New Orleans Section (NCJW).
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 naturalization ceremonies, effective immediately. NCJW has regularly provided voter registration assistance at naturalization ceremonies since 2018, registering between 30 and 50 new citizens per event.
Elias Law Group attorneys representing 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. After initially defending the new policy in court, the Trump administration ultimately agreed to today’s final judgment and waived its right to appeal. The judgment immediately reinstates prior guidance permitting nonprofit organizations, like the National Council of Jewish Women, to help register new U.S. citizens to vote following their naturalization ceremonies.
Today’s final judgment follows an earlier ruling from Judge Adam Abelson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland on August 3, 2026, granting a request by Elias Law Group to temporarily block the prohibition on voter registration assistance. NCJW was the only plaintiff organization to bring an equal protection claim.
“From the very beginning, this ban was an attack on the fundamental rights of newly naturalized Americans and the organizations that welcome them into our democracy,” said Elias Law Group partner Aria Branch. “Today, that ban is officially dead. The court’s judgment is final, the administration has given up its right to appeal, and organizations like the National Council of Jewish Women can continue the important work of helping new citizens register to vote. We are proud to have stood with NCJW in this fight.”
Read the final judgment here.
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