US judge finds law criminalizing noncitizen voting unconstitutional

‌A U.S. ​judge dismissed on Thursday a federal criminal case ‌accusing a noncitizen of voting in an election, finding that the statute criminalizing noncitizen voting ‌was unconstitutional.

The ruling by Miami-based U.S. ‌District Judge David Leibowitz only applies to the case of Chelsea Cox, a Jamaican national living ⁠in ​Florida who ⁠was charged in October with illegally voting in ⁠the 2020 election. But it appears to mark ​the first time a federal court has found ⁠the 1996 law a violation of the ⁠U.S. ​Constitution, dealing a blow to the Trump administration's crackdown on noncitizen voting.

That ⁠crackdown has become a cornerstone of the Republican president's ⁠efforts ⁠to highlight alleged election fraud ahead of November's midterm elections.