Federal Appeals Court Blocks Trump’s Executive Order on Voter List and Mail Ballots
A federal appeals court has maintained a decision that prevents President Donald Trump’s executive order from being enforced in nearly half of the United States. The order aimed to establish a federal list of eligible voters and restrict mail ballots to individuals on that list.
The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges dismissed the Trump administration’s attempt to implement these mail-in voting limitations in 23 states that initiated legal action before the midterm elections in November.
In March, Trump directed the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Social Security Administration to compile a “state citizenship list” of eligible voters. The U.S. Postal Service was also instructed to deliver mail ballots exclusively to those on the list.
Although Trump promoted the initiative as a measure to prevent non-citizens from voting, state election officials argued that it could be misused and lead to confusion.
Democratic leaders from 23 states and the District of Columbia contested Trump’s order by filing a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Boston. They claimed that the order was unconstitutional, asserting that the authority to set election rules resides with the states and Congress, not the president.
Judge Indira Talwani of the U.S. District Court, nominated by President Barack Obama, concurred with the plaintiffs and blocked the implementation of Trump’s order for the November 3 elections, but solely in the states involved in the lawsuit.
The Justice Department conveyed in an emailed statement on Sunday that it is “reviewing all options” for further legal action and remains confident that Trump’s executive order will eventually be upheld.
