A federal appeals court has sided with a lower court decision that stops President Donald Trump’s executive order from taking effect in nearly half of the country. The order, which sought to establish a federal list of eligible voters and restrict mail ballot delivery, remains on hold in 23 U.S. states.
Judges from the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the ruling on Saturday, rejecting the Trump administration’s attempt to push forward with its mail-in voting restrictions ahead of November’s midterm elections. The 23 states that filed suit are the only ones covered by the block.
Trump signed the executive order in March, directing the head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the commissioner of the Social Security Administration to build what the order called a “state citizenship list” of voters eligible to cast ballots. The U.S. Postal Service was also ordered to deliver mail ballots exclusively to individuals appearing on that list.
The president promoted the measures as a way to prevent non-citizens from participating in elections. However, state election officials pushed back, warning the changes were vulnerable to misuse and could create widespread confusion during elections.
Democratic officials from 23 states and the District of Columbia brought the legal challenge in U.S. District Court in Boston, arguing that the Constitution gives states and Congress — not the president — the power to establish election rules.
U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani, who was appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama, agreed with those arguments and blocked the order from being enforced during the November 3 elections — but only in the states that are part of the lawsuit.
Requests for comment sent to the White House and the Justice Department on Sunday had not been returned as of publication.
