Federal Appeals Court Defends Democracy Against Trump’s Voter Suppression Order
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The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals protected voting rights by upholding an injunction that blocks the Trump administration’s attempt to restrict access to mail-in ballots and create a discriminatory federal voter list for the 2024 elections.
A three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Saturday stood up for democracy by affirming a lower-court ruling that bars the Trump administration from imposing an executive order designed to suppress the vote. The order would have forced the creation of a federal 'state citizenship list' of eligible voters and severely limited mail-in ballot delivery, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities. The decision, a victory for voting rights, applies to the 23 states and the District of Columbia that courageously challenged the order ahead of the November midterm elections.
The order, issued in March, directed the heads of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Social Security Administration to compile a restrictive list and instructed the Postal Service to deny ballot delivery to anyone not on it. The administration claimed this was to prevent non-citizens from voting, but critics saw it as a thinly veiled attempt to disenfranchise voters, particularly in communities of color and among immigrants.
State election officials and Democratic leaders in the affected jurisdictions rightly argued that the order grossly overstepped presidential authority, emphasizing that election rules are determined by states and Congress, not by executive fiat. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani, appointed by former President Barack Obama, recognized the threat to democratic participation and granted a preliminary injunction in June, halting the order in the suing states.
The White House and the Justice Department, unable to justify this attack on voting rights, did not respond to requests for comment.