U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín’s Wednesday order covers California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin. It bars operations based on certain records compiled to identify people suspected of unlawful voting. The injunction is set to remain in effect until polls close on Nov. 3, but is on hold until 5 p.m. Friday to give the federal government an opportunity to seek emergency review in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The lawsuit was brought by the California Nurses Association, National Nurses United, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties, and the Voto Latino Foundation. The plaintiffs argue that DHS’s Unlawful Voter Initiative relies on error-prone methods that could subject eligible voters to scrutiny, including interviews at people’s homes. They described the effort as involving armed agents questioning residents about their eligibility to vote.

Martínez-Olguín found that the nursing organizations had shown a direct risk to their members, who encourage and assist people to vote. She said their evidence indicated the initiative was interfering with that work and creating a reasonable fear of harm. The judge also concluded the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on their claim that the government’s actions violated the Voting Rights Act’s ban on intimidating people who assist or mobilize voters.

“The public’s interests in safe elections, free from interference or intimidation, far exceed” the government’s stated interest in preventing voting by noncitizens, the judge wrote.

At a hearing Monday, plaintiffs’ attorney Geoffrey Curfman argued that the initiative was being applied nationally and warranted broad relief. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Helland disputed that characterization, calling the effort a reallocation of resources rather than a formal policy and arguing that any injunction should be limited to parties able to show they were directly affected. Helland said the government filters citizens out of its investigations; Curfman countered that DHS had acknowledged arresting citizens during voting-crime investigations.

The ruling comes amid wider disputes between California and the federal government over election administration and allegations of voter fraud. The Justice Department recently sued California seeking to block the counting of thousands of ballots, and federal officials announced charges against 28 people in cases involving suspected voter fraud.