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The ruling Saturday by judges of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals rejected the Trump administration's effort to move
forward with the mail-in voting restrictions in 23 U.S. states
that sued ahead of November's midterm elections.
Trump issued an executive order in March for the director of
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the commissioner
of the Social Security Administration to create a “state
citizenship list” of eligible voters. It also ordered the U.S.
Postal Service to deliver mail ballots only to people on that
list.
While Trump touted the proposed changes as safeguards to keep
non-U.S. citizens from voting, state election officials argued
they were ripe for abuse and could cause chaos.
Democratic officials in 23 states and the District of Columbia
challenged Trump's order in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District
Court in Boston. They argued that Trump's order was
unconstitutional because the states and Congress, not the
president, have the authority to set election rules.
U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani, who was nominated by
Democratic President Barack Obama, agreed and halted Trump's
order from being implemented for the Nov. 3 elections — but only
in the states that have sued.
The Justice Department said in an emailed statement Sunday that
it is “reviewing all options” regarding its next legal steps and
is confident that Trump's executive order will ultimately be
upheld.
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Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia.
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