Trump Justice Department moves to defend Wyoming’s citizen voter law

The Trump Justice Department asked a federal court in Wyoming to permit it to file a brief in defense of the State of Wyoming’s citizen voter law.

A coalition of nonprofit groups sued Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray on May 9 challenging the law, which as of Tuesday this week, requires voters to prove U.S. citizenship and 30 days of Wyoming residency in order to register to vote. The groups says the law will make it harder for certain groups—like women and transgender people—to register to vote. 

The Acting U.S. Attorney for Wyoming, Stephanie Sprecher, filed a motion asking the judge’s permission on Tuesday to file an amicus brief in support of the Secretary of State. 

“This case presents important questions regarding enforcement of the Fourteenth Amendment’s voting rights protections, in which the United States has a substantial interest,” the filing reads, according to Cowboy State Daily, a local media outlet.

The U.S. Attorney’s office argues that the U.S. Constitution grants states the authority to regulate the “times, places and manner of holding elections.” 

“Almost every voting rule will impose some burden,” the brief the Justice Department would file says. “But slight inconveniences, including the processes necessary to acquire photo identification to register or vote, do not delegitimize the State’s interest in preventing fraud or seriously hinder the ability to vote.”