A federal judge restricted DHS investigations into suspected noncitizen voting in nine states, citing concerns that the agency's tactics could intimidate eligible voters.

Why it matters: With the midterms less than two weeks away, the ruling curtails a central part of the Trump administration's efforts to investigate suspected noncitizen voting.

Driving the news: The ruling blocks election-related field operations and interviews under the government's Unlawful Voter Initiative that involve or are likely to involve U.S. citizens.

California-based District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín also blocked the administration from conducting operations against likely citizens in those states relying on records generated by its voter-matching policy.

Zoom in: Martínez-Olguín wrote in her Wednesday order that the groups that sued provided "substantial evidence" that the government's "intimidating conduct" was "directly interfering with their members' right to encourage voters to participate in the 2026 midterm…