Federal judge blocks Trump administration's mail ballot rule pending appeal

U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani issued an injunction on Thursday that halts the implementation of a presidential executive order aimed at limiting mail voting for the upcoming midterm elections. The order, issued in March, would require the Postal Service to deliver ballots only to states that provide a specific voter list and use prescribed envelope formats. Talwani said the rule would give states insufficient time and resources to redesign ballots, obtain approvals, produce new mail pieces, update election management systems, and train officials before the November vote.

The ruling comes a week before the first mail ballots are scheduled to be mailed and follows a recent Supreme Court procedural decision that allowed the administration to proceed with the rule. Democrats, voting-rights groups and about two dozen state attorneys general had refiled lawsuits after the high court said Talwani had acted prematurely.

"This rule is a clear attempt by the federal government to interfere in elections it has no power to control. Today, a federal court halted it before this administration could wreak havoc on our elections," said New York Attorney General Letitia James in a statement.

The Postal Service maintains that it will not deliver ballots unless states meet the new requirements, a stance that opponents argue violates constitutional authority over election rules, which they say rests with states and, in some cases, Congress. A hearing on the matter is set for Sept. 3, and the administration is expected to seek review by the Supreme Court.