A federal appeals court has blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order that sought to establish a federal list of eligible voters. This ruling prevents the restriction of mail ballot delivery only to individuals on this list in nearly half of U.S. states.
On Saturday, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the Trump administration. The appeal had aimed to enforce mail-in voting restrictions in 23 states before the upcoming midterm elections. Trump’s executive order, issued in March, instructed the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the commissioner of the Social Security Administration to develop a ‘state citizenship list’ of eligible voters. Additionally, the order sought to restrict the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail ballots exclusively to people included on that list.
President Trump had promoted these proposed changes as precautions to prevent non-U.S. citizens from voting. However, election officials in several states contended that such measures could be exploited and lead to confusion. Democratic officials from 23 states, along with the District of Columbia, challenged Trump’s order by filing a lawsuit in a U.S. District Court in Boston. They asserted that the order was unconstitutional, arguing that the authority to set election rules lies with the states and Congress.
U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani, nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama, agreed with the plaintiffs and stopped Trump’s order from being executed for the November 3 elections. This decision applied only to the states that initiated the lawsuit.
In response, the Justice Department commented on Sunday that they are ‘reviewing all options’ regarding potential further legal actions. They expressed confidence that Trump’s executive order would ultimately be validated.