The New York Court of Appeals struck down a controversial New York City law that allowed noncitizens to vote in local elections.

The appeals court ruled 6-1 that the 2021 law passed by the City Council violated the state constitution.

“Whatever the future may bring, the New York Constitution as it stands today draws a firm line restricting voting to citizens,” the ruling stated, according to the New York Post.

🚨 BREAKING: Court ends New York City's law allowing non-citizens to vote.

The law is over. Final blow. Only citizens can vote.

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 20, 2025

From the New York Post:

The ruling closes the matter in the state courts and dashes hopes by many lefty City Council members and advocates of the city’s 800,000 green card holders getting a voice in local elections.

Supporters had argued that noncitizens here legally should be able to vote because they pay taxes and make contributions to their communities.

But Republicans and other opponents viewed the law as a nonstarter, especially because the state constitution appeared to clearly limit voting to US citizens.

New: The Court of Appeals, New York's highest state court, has affirmed a ruling that struck down New York City's noncitizen voting law. Voting is limited to citizens, the court ruled.https://t.co/g6IG1Hz3Wz

— Dan Clark (@DanClarkReports) March 20, 2025

HUGE win for the Constitution today.

In a 6-to-1 decision, New York's highest court has struck down NYC's law allowing non-citizens to vote!

"Whatever the future may bring, the New York Constitution as it stands today draws a firm line restricting voting to citizens."… pic.twitter.com/0f1sgDwma7

— Bobbie Anne Cox (@Attorney_Cox) March 20, 2025

POLITICO reports:

The law would have made more than 800,000 people eligible to vote in municipal contests such as mayoral races.

“We file some lawsuits that are stretches,” said Joe Borelli, the former Republican minority leader of the New York City Council and one of the plaintiffs who challenged the law. “This one was, from the beginning, an open-shut case.”

The law was approved in the waning days of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration. When neither he nor successor Eric Adams issued a veto, it automatically became law in early 2022.

The legal battles since then have centered on language in the state constitution that says “every citizen shall be entitled to vote at every election for all officers elected by the people.”

Republicans argued that this prohibits all noncitizens from casting ballots. Democrats on the City Council who defended the law said this language should be viewed as a floor rather than a ceiling, and that local governments have the power to expand the franchise further if they wish.