A federal judge expanded an order to block the U.S. Postal Service from tightening mail-in voting rules nationwide. The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to intervene.
The ruling impacts the accessibility of mail-in voting for the upcoming midterm elections, with the administration's appeal to the Supreme Court potentially shaping the future of federal involvement in election administration.
A federal judge has blocked the U.S. Postal Service from nationwide enforcement of tighter rules for mail-in voting, expanding an earlier order that had applied to 23 states and Washington D.C. President Donald Trump's administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene to fully implement an executive order restricting mail-in ballots ahead of the November midterm elections.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston ruled that the executive branch of the federal government has no authority to regulate elections, a responsibility assigned to individual states. The Trump administration, through the Justice Department, filed a request asking the Supreme Court to pause the judge's decision. The administration contends that lawsuits are premature as federal agencies have not yet taken concrete actions that impact the plaintiffs, and any alleged harm is speculative.
Trump's executive order, signed in March, directed the Department of Homeland Security to compile and transmit to states a list of U.S. citizens eligible to vote. It also required the Postal Service to deliver ballots only to voters on each state's approved mail-in ballot list. The Postal Service had recently moved to implement this directive. The administration has previously asked the Supreme Court to pause a June decision related to this order.
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