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Judge clears the way for Postal Service work on Trump's mail-in voting order for now
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A federal judge in Boston has handed the Trump administration another temporary win in the legal fight over the president's executive order to restrict mail-in voting for the midterm election.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani on Wednesday canceled a nationwide ruling she had issued that blocked the U.S. Postal Service from working on Trump's directives.
Trump's order is expected to face more legal hurdles as this lawsuit and other related cases filed by Democrats, voting rights groups and two dozen mainly Democratic-led states proceed.
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− Elections Judge clears the way for Postal Service work on Trump's mail-in voting order for now August 26, 20261:15 PM ET Hansi Lo Wang
A U.S.
+ Elections Judge clears the way for Postal Service work on Trump's mail-in voting order for now Updated August 26, 20263:05 PM ET Originally published August 26, 20261:15 PM ET Hansi Lo Wang
A U.S.
− The decision sets up another possible consideration of the executive order by the Supreme Court.
+ The decision sets the stage for another possible consideration of the executive order by the Supreme Court.
− The court ruled on a procedural issue, but has not weighed in on whether Trump's order is legal.
+ So far, the high court has ruled on a procedural issue, but not weighed in on whether Trump's order is legal.
− In that earlier procedural ruling, the Supreme Court halted a similar June ruling from Talwani that applied only to the 23 mainly Democratic-led states, plus Washington, D.C., that sued over the order.
+ Elections Supreme Court gives Trump an interim win on his mail voting order, but hurdles loom In that earlier procedural ruling, the Supreme Court halted a similar June ruling from Talwani that applied only to the 23 mainly Democratic-led states, plus Washington, D.C., that sued over the order. The high court concluded Talwani weighed in too early, before USPS issued a finalized plan for carrying out Trump's directives.
− Elections Supreme Court gives Trump an interim win on his mail voting order, but hurdles loom In response to the executive order Trump signed in March, USPS released a final rule for federal ballot mail.
+ In Wednesday's order, the judge cited that reasoning by the Supreme Court for granting the administration's request to cancel her nationwide ruling, which was also issued before USPS' Aug.
− It lays out new design requirements for mail-in ballot envelopes, as well as a plan for delivering mail-in ballots only to people on lists of absentee voters that states would have to turn over to the mailing agency.
+ 21 release of a final rule for federal ballot mail.
− It remains unclear, however, if and how Trump's directives would ultimately affect voting by mail for the midterms, which is set to start in a matter of weeks.
+ That rule's most controversial provision lays out a plan for delivering mail-in ballots only to people on lists of absentee voters that states would have to turn over to the mailing agency, as called for by Trump's order.
+ Elections A federal law bans late voter roll purges. Republicans are pushing to reinterpret it Trump, who himself has voted by mail in Florida, has said he signed this executive order in March to stop illegal voting by non-U.S. citizens, a problem that many studies and audits find is extremely rare.
The order's challengers argue that it oversteps a president's authority under the Constitution, which gives the power of setting federal election rules to the states and Congress. They also claim that USPS has no authority to control mail-in voting.
It remains unclear if and how Trump's directives would ultimately affect voting by mail for the midterms, which is set to start in a matter of weeks.
− Edited by Benjamin Swasey
Elections A federal law bans late voter roll purges.
+ Those challengers are asking Talwani, as well as another federal judge in Washington, D.C., to issue new rulings that would block USPS from carrying out its finalized plan and likely be appealed to the Supreme Court.
Editor's note: USPS is a financial supporter of NPR.
Edited by Benjamin Swasey
Politics Postal Service says its cash crisis is delayed until at least 2031, but problems loom NPR does not offer or accept money for coverage or interviews.
− Republicans are pushing to reinterpret it Politics Postal Service says its cash crisis is delayed until at least 2031, but problems loom NPR does not offer or accept money for coverage or interviews.