A federal judge ruled that Iowa can continue to contest the validity of hundreds of ballots from potential noncitizens, despite concerns that this could disenfranchise recently naturalized citizens.

U.S. District Judge Stephen Locher sided with the state against a lawsuit from the ACLU, which represented a Latino group and four recent citizens who were placed on a questionable registration list.

Iowa’s attorney general and secretary of state argued that removing these names would help prevent illegal voting, a stance aligned with Republican efforts nationwide.

Governor Kim Reynolds celebrated the ruling as a win for election integrity, while ACLU officials expressed concern over potential voter disenfranchisement, The Guardian has reported.

The ruling follows a similar Supreme Court decision allowing Virginia to resume a voter roll purge.

Written by B.C. Begley