Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration to Proceed with Mail-Voting Order Pending Further Challenges
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states lack standing to contest President Trump’s executive order limiting mail-in voting, leaving the order in place while additional lawsuits may still affect its implementation before the midterm elections.
The Supreme Court issued an unsigned order on Monday that bars states from challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order that would restrict mail-in voting, though the justices did not rule on the order’s legality. The conservative majority noted that the decision does not guarantee the lawfulness of any subsequent actions taken to implement the order, adding that “time will tell.”
The order follows a Justice Department emergency appeal arguing that the states sued too early and that the administration should be allowed to prepare for the upcoming midterm elections. The appeal cites a prior district-court ruling in Washington that permitted the order to move forward, while a Massachusetts judge has issued separate injunctions blocking the plan both regionally and nationwide.
Democratic officials from 23 states and the District of Columbia had sued to halt the order, contending that the Constitution grants states and Congress authority over elections and warning that the changes could cause “extreme” disruptions. A dozen Republican-leaning states filed briefs supporting the federal government, asserting that states would have input on final voter lists.
The Supreme Court’s three liberal-leaning justices dissented. The ruling does not preclude further litigation, and other voting-related cases are expected to reach the high court. The order, signed in March, directs the Postal Service to deliver ballots only to voters on lists compiled by the administration, a measure the administration says is intended to protect election integrity.