Federal Judge Blocks Trump Order Restricting Mail-In Ballots Ahead of November Elections

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – A federal judge in Boston on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from enforcing major portions of President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at tightening rules for mail-in voting, delivering another legal setback to the White House as the administration presses its election integrity agenda ahead of November’s federal elections.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, issued a preliminary injunction barring the U.S. Postal Service from refusing to deliver mail-in ballots in states that do not submit voter information for federal citizenship checks. The ruling also rejected the administration’s attempt to create a uniform national system for identifying approved mail-in ballots through federally tied voter lists and barcode requirements.

Trump’s March 31 executive order directed federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Postal Service, to play a larger role in policing mail-in voting. Under the order, states using mail ballots would have been expected to provide voter lists to federal officials, who would then generate “confirmed citizen” lists for use in determining who could receive or cast ballots by mail.

Judge Talwani ruled that the president exceeded his constitutional authority, saying the order intruded on powers reserved to the states and Congress. States administer elections under the Constitution, while Congress holds primary authority over the postal system and federal election rules.

“Accordingly, to the extent the EO attempts to intimidate local election officials to use the necessarily incomplete Confirmed Citizenship Lists as a resource, lest they face criminal prosecution, such efforts fall outside the President’s Article II and otherwise-delegated authority,” Talwani wrote.

The injunction applies to the November federal election and any federal elections held before then.

The ruling came after more than 20 Democrat-led states and voting rights groups sued the administration, arguing that the order would force states to quickly overhaul election systems, create confusion, and potentially prevent eligible voters from casting ballots.

The Postal Service had already moved to implement portions of Trump’s order through proposed regulations, including requirements that states provide voter information and use specific barcodes for mail ballots. Postmaster General David Steiner told Congress this week that USPS would not deliver ballots from states that failed to provide an approved voter list under the proposed rule.

Trump and his supporters have argued for years that expanded mail voting creates opportunities for fraud, particularly when ballots are sent to addresses where voters no longer live or where identity verification is more difficult. Backers of mail voting argue that it increases access for voters who cannot easily appear in person, including the elderly, disabled, military personnel, and those unable to take time off work.

The decision follows other recent legal defeats for the administration’s election efforts. Earlier this week, another federal judge ruled that the government could not use the Department of Homeland Security’s SAVE system to conduct citizenship checks on voter rolls. Courts have also repeatedly rejected Justice Department efforts to compel states to hand over voter lists.

The legal battle is not over. Other challenges to Trump’s election order remain pending, and a separate case involving mailed-ballot deadlines is before the Supreme Court, with a decision expected next week.

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