Youngkin vows to appeal 'to SCOTUS' after US judge orders 1,600 voters back on ballot

A federal judge on Friday ordered Virginia to halt its removal of potential non-citizens from state voter rolls, a decision expected to restore the voting rights to some 1,600 residents ahead of Election Day.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin told Fox News shortly after the ruling that his administration is planning to file an emergency stay for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to block the injunction, which he noted was handed down just 11 days before the election. 

He added that his administration would appeal it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, if necessary.

"This is a stunning ruling by a federal judge who is ordering Virginia to reinstate individuals who have self-identified as noncitizens back on the voter rolls," Youngkin said on air on Fox News Channel via telephone shortly after the judge's decision was announced.

His remarks come after U.S. Judge Patricia Giles issued a preliminary injunction Friday to reinstate all voters that had been removed from state voter rolls in the state in the last 90 days, finding that the removals had been in fact "systematic," not individualized, and were thus a violation of federal law. 

YOUNGKIN HITS BACK AT DOJ SUIT OVER 'COMMON SENSE' LAW THAT CULLS NONCITIZENS FROM VOTER ROLLS

Giles said Friday that there is reason to believe voters in Virginia were being mistakenly removed from the rolls. "This process has resulted in eligible voters having their voting registration flagged," she said in issuing the preliminary injunction.