### Federal Judge Halts Virginia Voter Purge Program, Orders Restoration of Registrations

In a notable decision on Friday, a federal judge halted a controversial Virginia program designed to purge noncitizens from the state's voter rolls. US District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles, appointed by President Joe Biden, found that the program violated federal law by systematically removing names within 90 days of a federal election.

Judge Giles ruled that the Virginia program failed to provide an individualized review process, as required by law, instead relying on automated systems that identified potential noncitizens based on Department of Motor Vehicles records. This resulted in the removal of around 1,600 individuals from the voter rolls. She mandated that election officials restore the registrations of those erroneously purged voters and send them notices informing them of their reinstated status while reiterating that noncitizens are not eligible to vote.

The ruling was met with backlash from former President Donald Trump, who criticized the decision on Truth Social. Trump accused the Justice Department and the judge of forcing Virginia to include noncitizens on the voter rolls, despite the order aiming to correct wrongful removals.

State officials have already appealed the decision to the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals, with discussions about potentially taking the case to the Supreme Court. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, expressed his commitment to continuing the purge program, emphasizing that aggressive steps would be taken to remove suspected noncitizens from the voter lists.

Judge Giles' decision follows a similar ruling by the Justice Department against Alabama for conducting a voter purge within the prohibited 90-day period before an election. During a hearing on Thursday, Virginia's attorney, Charles Cooper, argued that the state's efforts were focused solely on noncitizens and should not fall under the restrictions of the National Voter Registration Act.

However, the judge maintained that the state's actions infringed on the voting rights of eligible citizens who had been erroneously purged. She also highlighted that the provisional voting option provided by the state did not adequately address the issue, as it did not ensure that wrongfully removed voters could cast their ballots like their eligible counterparts.

Immigrant activists and voting rights advocates, who challenged the removal program, provided evidence that several citizens had been mistakenly removed. Brent Ferguson, representing the challengers, noted that they had identified at least 18 citizens who were wrongly purged based on the list provided earlier in the week.

The ruling underscores the ongoing debate over voter roll purges and the balance between ensuring election integrity and protecting voters' rights. As the appeal process continues, the fate of Virginia's program and similar efforts in other states remain in the balance.