{"id":248,"date":"2026-05-28T19:37:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T19:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northcarolinamovingjournal.com\/?p=248"},"modified":"2026-05-28T19:37:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T19:37:01","slug":"trump-order-limiting-voting-by-mail-will-stand-for-now-federal-judge-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northcarolinamovingjournal.com\/?p=248","title":{"rendered":"Trump order limiting voting by mail will stand for now, federal judge rules"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A federal judge on Thursday declined to block President Donald Trump\u2019s executive order restricting voting by mail, finding that it was too early to challenge the directive.<\/p>\n

Read more States could purge voter rolls close to elections if Supreme Court takes Trump\u2019s side in Arizona case<\/a><\/p>\n

The\u00a0decision by D.C. District Court Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, represents a setback for Democratic groups, lawmakers and other groups including the NAACP that have sued to stop the order ahead of the midterm elections in November. The\u00a0March 31 order faces at least five lawsuits.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The executive order directs the postmaster general, who leads the Postal Service, to propose a rule that would block states from sending ballots through the mail except to voters on lists provided by the state to the Postal Service. Under the order, the proposed rule is due this week.<\/p>\n

The order also instructs the Department of Homeland Security to compile lists of voting-age U.S. citizens in each state, with the help of the Social Security Administration. Democrats allege the Trump administration is building an unauthorized national voter list, despite the U.S. Constitution giving states the responsibility of running federal elections.<\/p>\n

The Department of Justice\u00a0had told the judge that the federal government hadn\u2019t yet implemented the directive. The judge\u2019s opinion, released just after midnight in Washington, D.C., makes clear that he could arrive at a different decision if the Trump administration moves forward with enforcing the order.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Court recognizes that the Postal Service may ultimately issue a final rule that directly affects Plaintiffs or their members, or that the Government may develop State Citizenship Lists that omit specific individuals due to particularized flaws,\u201d Nichols wrote in a 26-page opinion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPlaintiffs may, of course, renew their motions if and when those future actions occur,\u201d he wrote. \u201cUntil then, however, Plaintiffs cannot show that preliminary injunctive relief is warranted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Implications for midterms<\/h4>\n

Nichols\u2019 decision is the first ruling in what is likely to be a protracted legal battle that could eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court. Thursday\u2019s opinion dealt only with whether the executive order should be blocked immediately \u2014 the underlying lawsuit to decide if the directive is unconstitutional and illegal will continue.<\/p>\n

Whether Trump can successfully implement the order holds major consequences for the midterm elections. If the White House is able to block the Postal Service from sending or receiving mail ballots from voters not on state-provided lists, it could upend elections in states where voting by mail is the norm and disrupt procedures in others.\u00a0<\/p>\n

About 30% of voters cast mail ballots in 2024, according to data gathered by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.<\/p>\n

Trump has framed the order as a needed measure to combat noncitizen voting, though it\u2019s exceedingly rare. The directive marks the White House\u2019s latest effort to assert authority over elections as\u00a0the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to show documents proving their citizenship, stalls in the U.S. Senate.<\/p>\n

Democrats and voting rights advocates argue the executive order is unconstitutional. Under the U.S. Constitution, states administer elections and Congress has the power to pass regulations on them, but the president has no power to act unilaterally.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Postal Service targeted<\/h4>\n

The battle over the executive order also carries ramifications for the future of the Postal Service. While the president used to appoint the postmaster general, since 1970 the Postal Service has operated as an independent corporation \u2014 a change intended to shield mail delivery from politics.<\/p>\n

Postal law experts say that if Trump is able to enforce an order against the postmaster general, who now is appointed by a Postal Service Board of Governors,\u00a0it will shatter the agency\u2019s independence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s ruling is a decisive victory for the rule of law and deals a blow against the Democrat strategy of suing first and finding legal arguments later. The Trump Administration will continue fighting for the safety and security of American elections,\u201d White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The Democratic groups suing over the order, including the Democratic National Committee, in a joint statement expressed confidence they would eventually prevail. They said the decision doesn\u2019t change the principle that the executive branch cannot infringe on Americans\u2019 voting rights.<\/p>\n

Read more NC GOP lawmaker removes name from anti-abortion bill after social media outcry<\/a><\/p>\n

The Democratic groups suing over the order, including the Democratic National Committee, in a joint statement expressed confidence they would eventually prevail. They said the decision doesn\u2019t change the principle that the executive branch cannot infringe on Americans\u2019 voting rights.<\/p>\n

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and one of the plaintiffs, in a statement called mail voting safe and secure. He emphasized that presidents don\u2019t get to rewrite election law \u201cby decree.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump\u2019s strategy is simple: if he can\u2019t win voters, he\u2019ll silence them \u2014 and now a MAGA judge is enabling him,\u201d Schumer said.<\/p>\n

A group of Republican state attorneys general has also intervened in the case to defend the order. They argue that Trump has authority to gather and organize information within the executive branch. They say Trump can direct the Postal Service to propose rules.<\/p>\n

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, who is leading the Republican legal effort, didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment on Nichols\u2019 decision.<\/p>\n

Opponents look to Massachusetts<\/h4>\n

With Nichols\u2019 decision, a federal judge in Massachusetts offers opponents their next opportunity to quickly halt the directive.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Massachusetts District Court Judge Indira Talwani, appointed by President Barack Obama, will hold a hearing on Tuesday in a\u00a0legal challenge brought by Democratic state attorneys general, led by California, along with the League of Women Voters and other civic groups.<\/p>\n

Some legal analysts anticipate states may have an easier time challenging the order because its requirements, such as requiring states to submit lists of voters to send ballots through the mail, directly affect them. David Becker, director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research,\u00a0wrote on social media that the states have \u201cmuch stronger standing claims\u201d heading into the hearing.<\/p>\n

After federal agencies begin acting on the order, the challenge in Massachusetts \u201cwill be the case to watch,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

\u2018Maximum amount of confusion\u2019<\/h4>\n

At a\u00a0mid-May hearing before Nichols, lawyers for the Democratic National Committee, Democratic leaders Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, and other interest groups had argued that, with the midterm elections less than six months away, there was no time to see how the Trump administration executes the order.<\/p>\n

The proposal would result in a \u201cmaximum amount of confusion\u201d and be a \u201cnightmare for election officials,\u201d Danielle Lang, who argued on behalf of the League of United Latin American Citizens, told Nichols. \u201cWaiting will only erode public confidence in elections.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time, Nichols warned Justice Department lawyers to notify him of \u201canything even approaching a material change\u201d on implementing the order.<\/p>\n

Justice Department senior trial counsel Stephen Pezzi told Nichols the plaintiffs have a right to \u201cprepare for the darkest fears,\u201d but, he argued, they can\u2019t win a preliminary injunction based on speculation about error-prone citizenship lists and a postal rule not yet created.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Nichols agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn any event, given that the Executive Order does not command Plaintiffs to do anything, and that no agency has yet acted pursuant to the Order in a way that could harm Plaintiffs,\u201d Nichols wrote, \u201cthey have not suffered any harm at present, much less harm that is \u2018certain,\u2019 \u2018great,\u2019 and imminent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Stein order bans NC workers from insider betting on prediction markets<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The decision by D.C. District Court Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, represents a setback for Democratic groups, lawmakers and other groups including the NAACP that have sued to stop the order ahead of the midterm elections in November. 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