by Donald Eng
HARTFORD, CT — Connecticut won its second court victory over the administration of President Donald Trump in two days, according to a statement from Attorney General William Tong’s office.
Tong on Thursday said the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts blocked what he called an unlawful executive order issued March 31 that amounted to an attempt to commandeer state elections.
Just one day earlier, Tong had announced another court victory regarding what he called unconstitutional documentary proof of citizenship requirements to voting.
“Another major defeat for President Trump and his desperate illegal attempts to control our elections,” Tong said. “These are critical wins heading into the November elections. We’re going to keep fighting and winning to protect our democracy and ensure every lawful vote is counted.”
The order sought to interfere with states’ constitutional authority to administer elections by restricting voter eligibility and voting-by-mail to lists of voters pre-authorized by the federal government, Tong said.
Thursday’s court win followed a Wednesday decision from the Massachusetts federal court granting a permanent injunction to block Trump’s March 25, 2025 executive order that Tong said attempted to conscript state election officials in the president’s campaign to impose documentary proof of citizenship requirements for voter registration, force states to ignore mail ballots that are cast by Election Day but received by election officials just days afterward, and withhold various streams of federal funding from the states if they fail to comply.
Tong said the Constitution does not allow the president to unilaterally impose changes to federal election procedures, particularly without an act of Congress permitting him to do so.