The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the Trump administration's request to implement an executive order that sought to impose stricter regulations on mail-in voting. This decision comes after a lower court found parts of the order unconstitutional, emphasizing that states must comply with new voting procedures under tight deadlines.
The Justice Department argued that the lawsuit was premature since the order had not yet been fully implemented, but the court disagreed, stating that states had no choice but to respond immediately to the order's requirements.
Trump's executive order, which followed his claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, aimed to direct the Department of Homeland Security to create voter eligibility lists and restrict the U.S. Postal Service's delivery of ballots.
However, the court sided with a coalition of states led by California and others, asserting that Trump lacked the authority to enforce such measures and that the USPS could not adopt binding regulations on mail-in voting. This ruling could hinder the administration's broader efforts to reshape voting laws and may lead to further legal challenges, including a potential appeal to the U.S.
Supreme Court