Trump asks Supreme Court to allow mail-in voting restrictions
A voter drops off their ballot at an official ballot box inside City Hall during the primary elections on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 in San Francisco, California, United States.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to intervene in a legal fight over President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting mail-in voting, escalating the dispute 99 days before the November midterm elections.
The emergency request comes after a federal appeals court in a 2-1 decision on Saturday left in place an order blocking key parts of the executive order Trump issued in March directing federal agencies to create voter eligibility lists and restrict the U.S. Postal Service from delivering ballots not tied to those lists.
A coalition of 23 states argues that Trump lacks the authority to impose federal rules on elections run by state and local officials.
The Justice Department argued that the challenge was premature because agencies had not yet finalized the policies needed to carry out Trump’s order. But the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said states were already being forced to prepare for changes that could affect upcoming elections.
The majority said the decision would require “unprecedented levels of involvement by federal officials in how states administer elections” and risk confusion and voter disenfranchisement.
The decision applies only to the states covered by the case. A separate federal appeals court in Washington recently vacated a broader injunction against the decision, leaving open the possibility that the Postal Service could enforce the restrictions elsewhere.
Trump and his allies have touted the changes as a precaution against illegal voting. Democrats and voting rights groups say the decision could prevent voters from receiving or returning ballots by mail. The change is one component of Trump’s efforts to make sweeping changes to how elections are conducted in the United States in the months leading up to the Nov. 3 election. He is also pressing Congress to pass legislation requiring national voter ID to vote and proof of citizenship to register to vote. The Constitution orders most election oversight to the states rather than the federal government.
The White House and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
