Supreme Court allows Virginia's removal of non-citizens from voter rolls

The Supreme Court ruled to allow Virginia to go ahead and remove approximately 1,600 alleged non-citizens from its voter rolls.

According to CBS, the court approved a request from state officials to pause a lower court order that had halted Virginia's systematic voter removal program, which began in August. 

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

The Supreme Court's decision comes a day after at least 26 attorneys general joined the petition. The petition, obtained by Fox News, argues that the ruling requiring the state to restore voters removed from the rolls on suspicion of the grounds of suspected noncitizenship is overly broad and lacks a solid legal foundation.

In an executive order signed in early August, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin authorized the removal of over 1,600 people from the voter rolls on the grounds that they are non-citizens and therefore ineligible to vote.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), represented by Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Civil Rights Division, along with a private group, filed a lawsuit against Virginia for allegedly violating the rule that prohibits removoing voters from the rolls within 90 days before an election. This action comes despite Gov. Youngkin issuing his order before the 90-day deadline.