Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/12pdf/12-71_7l48.pdf
Page Number: 20

Cite as:  570 U. S. ____ (2013) 

17 

Opinion of the Court 

which  the  Commission  is  authorized  to  carry  out  under 
this chapter may be carried out only with the approval of 
at least three of its members”).  Arizona did not challenge 
that  agency  action  (or  rather  inaction)  by  seeking  APA
review  in  federal  court,  see  Tr.  of  Oral  Arg.  11–12  (Ari-
zona), but we are aware of nothing that prevents Arizona
from  renewing  its  request.10   Should  the  EAC’s  inaction 
persist, Arizona would have the opportunity to establish in 
a  reviewing  court  that  a  mere  oath  will  not  suffice  to 
effectuate its citizenship requirement and that the EAC is 
therefore  under  a  nondiscretionary  duty  to  include  Ari-
zona’s concrete evidence requirement on the Federal Form. 
See 5 U. S. C. §706(1).  Arizona might also assert (as it has
argued  here)  that  it  would  be  arbitrary  for  the  EAC  to
refuse to include Arizona’s instruction when it has accepted
a similar instruction requested by Louisiana.11 

* 
We  hold  that  42  U. S. C.  §1973gg–4  precludes  Arizona 

* 

* 

—————— 

10 We  are  aware  of  no  rule  promulgated  by  the  EAC  preventing  a 
renewed  request.    Indeed,  the  whole  request  process  appears  to  be
entirely  informal,  Arizona’s  prior  request  having  been  submitted  by
e-mail.  See App. 181.

The EAC currently lacks a quorum—indeed, the Commission has not 
a  single  active  Commissioner.    If  the  EAC  proves  unable  to  act  on  a
renewed request, Arizona would be free to seek a writ of mandamus to
“compel agency action unlawfully withheld or unreasonably delayed.”  5 
U. S. C.  §706(1).    It  is  a  nice  point,  which  we  need  not  resolve  here, 
whether  a  court  can  compel  agency  action  that  the  agency  itself,  for
lack  of  the  statutorily  required  quorum,  is  incapable  of  taking.    If  the 
answer  to  that  is  no,  Arizona  might  then  be  in  a  position  to  assert  a
constitutional  right  to  demand  concrete  evidence  of  citizenship  apart
from the Federal Form. 

11 The  EAC  recently  approved  a  state-specific  instruction  for  Louisi-
ana requiring applicants who lack a Louisiana driver’s license, ID card, 
or  Social  Security  number  to  attach  additional  documentation  to  the
completed Federal Form.  See National Mail Voter Registration Form,
p. 9; Tr. of Oral Arg. 57 (United States).