Federal Judge Halts Virginia's Voter Purge Days Before Election

A U.S. federal judge blocked Virginia's removal of voters who hadn't confirmed citizenship, citing a federal ban on voter purges 90 days before an election. Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles ordered restoration of voter eligibility ahead of the upcoming election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

A federal judge in the United States has intervened to halt Virginia's plans to remove individuals from its voter rolls who failed to prove their citizenship. This move was deemed a breach of the federal law that prevents mass voter purges within 90 days of an election.

Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles of the U.S. District Court ruled that Virginia must re-enlist voters it had removed. This decision comes less than a fortnight before the election pitting Republican Donald Trump against Democrat Kamala Harris. Earlier, Virginia's Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin issued an order mandating daily updates to the voter list to exclude non-citizens, among others.

The Justice Department contested the order, arguing it resulted in citizens losing their voter registration unjustly. Despite Republican assertions of potential non-citizen voting, evidence remains scant. Virginia's government plans to contest the ruling, potentially escalating to the U.S. Supreme Court.

(With inputs from agencies.)