Federal Appeals Court Ruling
A federal appellate panel upheld an executive order by President Donald Trump aimed at restricting mail voting. This decision comes a day after the Trump administration sought intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court in a separate case.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia’s three-judge panel affirmed a May ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols. Nichols ruled that an injunction was premature as formal regulations governing the order had not been issued. Directives were released days later.
The circuit court panel, which included two judges appointed by former President Barack Obama and one by Trump, agreed with Nichols’ decision. There were no dissensions noted. The court acknowledged potential legal challenges if the administration pursued changes close to the November midterm elections.
A prior ruling noted: “The action the Order contemplates would involve the President, whom the Constitution vests with no express authority over the conduct of elections, undertaking a substantial and unfunded overhaul of election procedures — including the implementation of a nationwide reform to Postal Service mail-handling processes.”
Other Legal Challenges
A federal judge in Massachusetts previously blocked the executive order, arguing it compelled states to alter their election procedures, a change upheld by a Boston-based appeals court. This was then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court by the Trump administration.
Postal Service Actions
The Postal Service has not commented on the actions related to Trump’s order. However, the American Postal Workers Union is preparing to implement an online portal for voter information submission, guided by the order.
Union President Jonathan Smith stated: “The IT people are moving forward with creating the portals to ensure we can accomplish the task if needed.”
Trump’s Efforts on Voting Procedures
Since beginning his second term, Trump has attempted to change voting procedures, facing repeated court blocks. His executive order in March directed the creation of a federal voter list and limited ballot delivery to listed individuals, clashing with constitutional state control of elections.
Another order proposed a nationwide voter ID requirement and demanded proof of citizenship for voter registration. A related bill stalled in the Senate facing bipartisan resistance.
Associated Press writer John Hanna contributed from Topeka, Kansas.