A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling blocking an executive order issued by former President Donald Trump that sought to limit mail-in voting in nearly half of the United States. The decision, announced Saturday by judges of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, prevents the implementation of Trump’s directive in 23 states and the District of Columbia that had challenged the order in court.
In March, Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Social Security Administration to compile a "state citizenship list" of eligible voters. Under the order, the U.S. Postal Service would be required to send mail-in ballots only to individuals included on that list.
The Trump administration maintained the measure was designed to prevent non-citizens from voting and to protect election integrity. However, election officials from the affected states argued that the order risked disenfranchising eligible voters and could cause significant administrative confusion ahead of the November midterm elections.
Democratic officials from the 23 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit contesting the order’s constitutionality, asserting that the power to regulate elections rests with the states and Congress rather than the president. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in August, issuing an injunction that barred enforcement of the executive order for the upcoming elections—but only in those states that joined the suit.
The appeals court’s decision affirms the lower court’s ruling, effectively maintaining the suspension of the mail-in ballot restrictions in those jurisdictions through the November 3 elections.
This legal battle forms part of broader efforts by Trump and his allies to impose voting restrictions and to question the legitimacy of the electoral process ahead of the midterms.
As of Sunday, neither the White House nor the Department of Justice had provided a public response to inquiries regarding the court’s ruling.