Trump Officials Again Urge US Supreme Court Intervention on Mail Ballots The US Department of Justice has once again petitioned the Supreme Court to intervene in a legal dispute over President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at restricting mail-in voting ahead of the November midterm elections. The request comes as the administration seeks to halt a recent ruling by a federal judge that blocked the implementation of Trump’s directive to tighten voting-by-mail rules nationwide. The case, which centers on the authority of federal agencies to regulate election procedures, has drawn sharp legal and political divisions, with Trump’s team arguing the order is essential to prevent fraud, while voting rights advocates claim it undermines democratic access. The dispute began in March 2024 when Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to enforce stricter mail-in voting rules. The directive required the Department of Homeland Security to compile and transmit to states a list of eligible voters, while the Justice Department was tasked with investigating and prosecuting election officials who issued ballots to individuals deemed ineligible under federal law. Additionally, the order mandated the US Postal Service to deliver ballots only to voters on each state’s approved mail-in ballot list. The Postal Service recently announced it would begin implementing these changes, sparking immediate controversy. The legal battle intensified when US District Judge Indira Talwani of Boston issued a ruling on Tuesday, effectively expanding an earlier decision she had made in June. In that initial ruling, Talwani had blocked the enforcement of Trump’s order in 23 Democratic-governed states and Washington, D.C., which had challenged the directive as unconstitutional.#donald_trump #us_supreme_court #us_department_of_justice #us_postal_service #indira_talwani
Trump Administration Urges Supreme Court to Block Federal Judge's Ruling on Mail-In Voting Restrictions The Trump administration on Wednesday renewed its push for the Supreme Court to intervene in a legal dispute over an executive order aimed at restricting mail-in voting for federal elections. The administration seeks to halt a federal judge’s ruling in Massachusetts that prohibits the government from implementing part of the order, which affects 23 states and the District of Columbia ahead of the November elections. U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that the Court must act swiftly to prevent the ruling from undermining the government’s ability to enforce Section 3 of the executive order, which bars the U.S. Postal Service from mailing ballots to voters not on official voter lists. The executive order, titled “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,” was signed by President Donald Trump on March 31. It mandates three key provisions: the Department of Homeland Security to create state-specific lists of adult U.S. citizens at least 60 days before federal elections; the attorney general to prioritize prosecuting state and local officials who issue federal ballots to ineligible voters; and Section 3, which requires states to provide the USPS with a list of voters to mail ballots to, while prohibiting the USPS from mailing ballots to those not on the list. A coalition of 23 states, led by California, and the District of Columbia challenged the order’s implementation in a federal court in Massachusetts. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled on June 25 that the challengers’ claims regarding the upcoming midterm elections were “ripe” for review, as the order created a “direct and immediate dilemma” for them.#supreme_court #trump_administration #us_postal_service #d_john_sauer #indira_talwani
