A federal appeals court dealt President Donald Trump a legal setback by leaving in place an injunction that blocks key provisions of his executive order aimed at tightening oversight of mail-in voting before the upcoming midterm elections.
Appeals Court Keeps Trump Voting Order Blocked
On Saturday, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to deny the Trump administration’s request to lift a lower court injunction issued in June, preventing enforcement of portions of the president’s mail-in voting order, reported The Hill.
The lawsuit was brought by Democratic-led states, including California, Massachusetts and Washington, which argued that the executive order exceeded presidential authority.
The order directed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to compile a list of confirmed U.S. citizens eligible to vote using federal citizenship databases.
It also instructed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate officials who send mail ballots to individuals deemed “not eligible” to vote.
Trump Administration Faces Supreme Court Decision
In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani said Trump lacked the authority to direct DHS to create such voter lists and that the U.S. Postal Service could not be required to carry out the order’s mail-related provisions.
Talwani also wrote that Trump did not have the power “to intimidate local election officials to use the necessarily incomplete confirmed citizenship lists as a resource, lest they face criminal prosecution.”
The Department of Justice has said that, without a favorable ruling, the administration may ask the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene.
Trump’s Voting Order Challenged
Earlier, President Trump signed an executive order to tighten mail-in voting rules by directing federal agencies to help verify voter eligibility, including compiling lists of confirmed U.S. citizens eligible to vote.
The order also sought stricter absentee ballot procedures, including approved voter lists and secure ballot tracking measures.
Trump had said the move was focused on “voter integrity,” but Democrats and voting-rights groups had quickly promised legal challenges.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had both said they would fight the order in court.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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