WASHINGTON, DC (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The U.S. Supreme Court has given Virginia the green light to keep moving forward with a controversial voter registration purge, aimed at identifying non-citizen voters. The decision, announced Wednesday, grants an emergency appeal requested by Virginia’s Republican-led administration after a federal judge blocked the purge, saying over 1,600 registrations were mistakenly removed.

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares praised the ruling, saying, “When this began, I promised Virginians we would take this case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary. Today, I am pleased to report the Court granted our request for an emergency stay.” With less than a week before the election, Miyares encouraged voters, saying, “Virginians can vote with confidence knowing Virginians will be choosing our elected officials.”

Governor Glenn Youngkin’s executive order in August started the purge, calling for daily checks between voter rolls and DMV data to confirm citizenship. However, a judge ruled the purge process violated federal rules, which require a “quiet period” ahead of elections to minimize mistakes. The judge also noted that some removed voters were confirmed U.S. citizens and directed the state to reinstate those registrations.

Miyares framed the Court’s decision as “a win for election integrity and the rule of law,” calling it a significant step for a secure election process. The ruling echoes a similar case in Alabama, where the state was ordered to restore over 3,200 voter registrations that had been flagged as non-citizens but included eligible voters.