Maureen Edobor Discusses Supreme Court Voting Rights Case on Courthouse News Podcast Edobor examines a case involving voter registration requirements, voter roll purges, and federal election protections.

By Law Communications
October 16, 2026

 

Washington and Lee law professor Maureen Edobor appeared on a recent episode of Sidebar, a podcast produced by Courthouse News Service, to discuss a voting rights case before the U.S. Supreme Court that could have significant implications for voter registration and federal protections against last-minute voter purges.

The episode, titled “Big Oil, AR-15s and the Right to Vote Hit SCOTUS,” previews three major cases on the Court’s docket involving climate change, gun rights, and voting rights. Edobor discussed Republican National Committee v. Mi Familia Vota, a case challenging provisions of federal election law that limit states’ authority to remove voters from registration rolls shortly before an election.

“It’s a case with a complicated procedural history, but at the most simple level, it’s about how much power a state has to make it harder for people to register to vote,” Edobor explained. “And more importantly…how much protection the NVRA gives voters against… administrative barriers that might seem kind of neutral but can disproportionately affect particular groups.”

At issue is the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which establishes a 90-day period before federal elections during which states generally cannot conduct systematic programs to remove ineligible voters from registration rolls. The Arizona case asks whether the state can cancel certain voter registrations within that period based on citizenship status and whether it can require documentary proof of citizenship on state voter registration forms.

Edobor explained that the dispute also raises broader questions about the division of authority over elections between state governments and Congress.

“It’s not really just a fight about whether you’ll need proof of citizenship to register to vote, but it’s also about who gets to make election policy,” she said.

An expert in election law, constitutional law, and voting rights, Edobor’s scholarship examines how constitutional and election law doctrines influence access to democratic participation and shape collective understandings of civic identity. Her research and commentary have recently been featured by NPR and other national news outlets as courts and policymakers continue to grapple with major questions surrounding election administration and voting rights.

If you know a W&L faculty member who has done great, accolade-worthy things, tell us about them! Nominate them for an accolade.