The US Department of Justice asked the US supreme court on Wednesday to pause a ruling that blocks nationwide postal voting restrictions tied to Donald Trump's March executive order. The request seeks immediate action before the November midterm elections.
Indira Talwani in Boston
Judge Indira Talwani in Boston blocked the US Postal Service on Tuesday from nationwide enforcement of the directive’s tighter rules for voting by mail. Her ruling expanded a June order that had already barred enforcement in 23 mostly Democratic-governed states and Washington, DC.
The Justice Department asked the justices to put the Tuesday decision on hold and to make clear that any pause also reaches the June order. In its filing, the department said the lawsuits are premature because federal agencies have not yet taken concrete actions that affect the plaintiffs.
Trump’s March order
Trump’s executive order directed the Department of Homeland Security to compile and transmit to the states a list of US citizens eligible to vote in each state. It also directed the justice department to prioritize investigating and prosecuting state and local election officials who issue ballots to people deemed “not eligible” to vote in federal elections.
The order required the US Postal Service to deliver ballots only to voters on each state’s approved mail-in ballot list. The Postal Service recently moved to implement the directive, which is why the Tuesday ruling changed the immediate legal path for nationwide enforcement.
Supreme Court decision pending
Talwani wrote that the federal executive branch had no authority to regulate elections and said the US constitution assigns election responsibility to individual states. The dispute now turns on whether the US supreme court grants the pause the administration requested, or leaves the nationwide block in place while the case continues.
