A federal judge in Boston on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order tightening federal oversight of mail-in voting, preventing the measure from taking effect before November’s midterm elections.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled that the order likely exceeds presidential authority and sided with 23 Democrat-led states and the District of Columbia, which argued that the Constitution gives states — not the White House — primary responsibility for administering federal elections.
Trump signed the order in March after renewing claims that widespread voter fraud cost him the 2020 election. The directive would require the Department of Homeland Security to compile state-by-state lists of confirmed U.S. citizens eligible to vote, require the U.S. Postal Service to limit delivery of mail ballots to voters appearing on those lists, and instruct the Justice Department to prioritize investigations of state and local election officials who issue ballots to people deemed ineligible.
The states and voting rights groups challenging the order argued it would force last-minute changes to election systems, create confusion for election officials, and risk disenfranchising eligible voters before November’s elections. Talwani’s ruling temporarily halts implementation while the case proceeds.
The decision marks the latest legal setback for Trump’s election-related executive actions.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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