Yesterday, The Supreme Court of the United States issued its opinion in Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona. You may be wondering what this means for you. For now, this opinion means that the state that you live in cannot require you to issue proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Below, I have included a brief synopsis of the opinion. This post is not meant to reflect my personal opinion on the issue, but to inform you of the decision.
In Arizona, the Court held that states cannot override Federal law when it comes to voter registration in federal elections; rather, federal law preempts conflicting state law. The current federal voter registration form only requires potential voters to declare their United States citizenship. Arizona law, however, required potential voters to issue proof of their citizenship. The majority opinion, written by Justice Scalia (who by the way, I once saw speak at my law school), declares that states cannot require this proof of citizenship for voter registration because it is in conflict with federal law. However, it is important to note that the majority of the Court also ruled that states can seek permission to add the proof of citizen requirement from federal officials.
Here is the link to the whole opinion: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-71_7l48.pdf
I hope this post was helpful in understanding Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona! For more analysis, an excellent blog is scotusblog.com.
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