Virginia asks Supreme Court to bar more than 1,600 non-citizens from voting

Virginia officials asked the Supreme Court to overturn its decision to allow more than 1,600 non-citizens to vote in the presidential election. Donald Trump called the ruling "outrageous."

"Not only will the Commonwealth of Virginia be irreparably harmed absent a stay, so will its voters and the public at large," state officials stressed in their request.

By an executive order signed in early August, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin decided to remove these more than 1,600 people from the voter rolls because they are not citizens and thus not eligible to vote.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), through Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Civil Rights Division, together with a private group, filed a lawsuit against Virginia for violating the rule prohibiting the removal of voters 90 days before an election, as defined in the National Voter Registration Act, even though Youngkin promulgated his order before 90 days remained before the election.

U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia Patricia Giles admitted the lawsuit for hearing and ruled that the state had to reinstate these individuals to its voter rolls.

Before going to the Supreme Court, Virginia petitioned the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Its three judges, appointed by the Democratic Party, rejected the request.