Appeals Court Blocks Trump Mail-In Voting Restrictions; Administration Appeals to Supreme Court

A U.S. appeals court has dealt a significant blow to the Trump administration's efforts to overhaul federal election procedures, ruling that the president lacks the authority to tighten mail-in voting rules via executive order. The ruling by Judge Talwani sided with a coalition of 23 states, including California and Massachusetts, which argued that the Constitution assigns the role of administering federal elections to the states, not the executive branch.

The administration had directed the Department of Homeland Security to compile voter eligibility lists and sought to require the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to deliver ballots only to individuals on state-approved lists. The court found that neither the president nor the USPS had the statutory authorization to adopt such binding regulations. In response, the Trump administration has already filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court, seeking to reinstate the restrictions ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.

The legal battle coincides with a legislative push in Congress for the SAVE America Act, a package of voting restrictions that President Trump has made a top priority. Trump has gone as far as demanding that the Senate cancel its August recess until the legislation is passed. Supporters of the executive order argue it is necessary for election integrity, while critics and several governors, including Oklahoma's Kevin Stitt, have emphasized that state-level control is paramount to the democratic process.