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is professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. Here, he shares his thoughts on a preliminary injunction issued in federal court today against portions of president Donald Trump's executive order on elections.

"Most importantly, the court enjoined Section 2(a), which required the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to revise the Federal Form—a voter registration form that states must accept for federal elections—to require documentary proof of citizenship. Section 2(a) risks disenfranchising countless citizens who lack easy access to passports or other documents that prove their citizenship. The court concluded that states have the power to set voting qualifications and Congress has the power to set registration requirements. The president, however, has neither of these powers. Moreover, Congress has not conferred its power to set registration requirements in the president. Accordingly, the challenge brought by civil rights groups and the Democratic Party was likely to succeed on the merits as to Section 2(a)."