Secretary Read Celebrates Victory in Executive Order Case on Voting Rights

A federal judge permanently blocked key parts of an executive order that would have made voting more difficult for eligible citizens

Today, in a victory for the rights of people to hold politicians accountable through elections, a federal judge permanently blocked key parts of President Trump's March 2025 executive order that would have made it harder for eligible citizens to vote.

Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read is releasing the following statement:

"As I've been saying for months and a judge agreed today, the president does not have any power over how states run elections. The Constitution is clear: states and Congress set the rules for elections, not one man in the Oval Office. Instead of trying to make voting more difficult, the president should instead focus on strengthening election security, supporting local election officials, and protecting every eligible American's freedom to vote."

This ruling was in response to a lawsuit brought by 19 states that sued to block President Trump's executive order from March 2025. The order had previously been partially blocked by the same court under a preliminary injunction.

Other federal courts have also granted injunctions against this executive order, including the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in response to Oregon and Washington's lawsuit