A federal judge in Boston permanently blocks most provisions of President Donald Trump's first executive order on elections, converting a prior preliminary injunction into a permanent ban and preventing the administration from enforcing new voting rules.Judge Denise Casper rules that requirements for documentary proof of citizenship to register, a ban on counting mail ballots arriving after Election Day regardless of postmark, and threats to withhold federal funds exceed presidential authority and violate the Constitution's separation of powers.Casper emphasizes that the Constitution assigns primary authority over the regulation of elections to the states and to Congress, rejecting the Justice Department's claim that the challenge was premature while preserving longstanding state control of registration and ballot-counting procedures.The decision removes a federal coercive scheme the White House proposed and is likely to become a flashpoint in litigation and political debates over how far the executive branch can reach into election rules.