Arizona v. The Inter Tribal Council of Arizona
In brief
Arizona cannot require people using the federal registration form to provide its extra proof of citizenship.
- Where it stands
- Decided
Decided 7-2 · June 17, 2013 · Opinion by Justice Scalia
- What it’s about
- Arizona required people registering with the federal voter-registration form to provide proof of citizenship. The Supreme Court agreed with the Ninth Circuit that the National Voter Registration Act bars that extra requirement for federal-form applicants.
- Who it affects
- Arizona cannot apply its proof-of-citizenship rule to people registering with the Federal Form.
Summary: written with AI from the case record.
What it's about
The National Voter Registration Act created a federal voter-registration form that states must accept and use.
Question presented
1. Did the United States Court of Appeals err by creating a new test of preemption? 2. If so, does the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 preempt other voter registration requirements?
What the Court decided
Holding
Arizona’s evidence-of-citizenship requirement, as applied to Federal Form applicants, is pre-empted by the NVRA’s mandate that States “accept and use” the Federal Form. 677 F. 3d 383, affirmed.
- Result
- Affirmed
The Court's reasoning
The Court said the National Voter Registration Act requires states to “accept and use” the Federal Form, so Arizona could not add its own proof-of-citizenship requirement for applicants using it.
The vote
From the opinions
“The Court reads an ambiguous federal statute in a way that brushes aside the constitutional authority of the States and produces truly strange results.”
What's next
The Ninth Circuit’s ruling remains in place. Arizona must accept and use the Federal Form without this extra proof requirement for applicants who use it.
Documents
Opinions
Audio
Docket activity
New analysis added
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
New analysis added
AI analysis generated: Impact Analysis
AI analysis generated: Opinion Summary
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AI analysis generated: Decision Record
Case data updated: summary, question_presented, generation_metadata
Case data updated: question_presented, extraction_metadata
Audio Recording added: Oral Arguments - Arizona v. The Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc.
Opinion added: Opinion
More questions
- Does the decision cover Arizona’s state registration form?
- The ruling addresses only the extra proof requirement for people using the Federal Form; it does not resolve requirements for other forms.
Sources
Primary materials plus reporting. Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.