A federal judge in Massachusetts has permanently blocked key parts of President Donald Trump's election executive order, including provisions that sought to push documentary proof-of-citizenship requirements into voter registration.

The ruling, issued by US District Judge Denise Casper, marks a significant defeat for an administration effort to reshape election administration through executive action. Democratic state attorneys general who challenged the order said the court granted a permanent injunction against core provisions of Executive Order 14248.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the order blocked key provisions from taking effect. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison described the ruling as a permanent injunction in a lawsuit that challenged an order attempting to force states to impose documentary proof of citizenship and alter treatment of some mail ballots.

The legal dispute turns on the division of authority over elections. States administer elections, while Congress has explicit constitutional power to regulate federal elections. The plaintiffs argued that the president could not use an executive order to impose voting requirements that Congress had not enacted and that states had not adopted.

The proof-of-citizenship provision was among the most politically charged parts of the order. Supporters of such requirements say they are necessary to preserve election integrity. Voting-rights advocates and Democratic officials argue that documentary requirements can disenfranchise eligible voters who lack ready access to passports, birth certificates or other qualifying paperwork.

The ruling does not end the political fight. Trump and his allies have continued to press for federal legislation that would impose similar documentary requirements, and the administration may appeal the Massachusetts decision. For now, however, the court's order sharply limits the administration's ability to implement the executive order.