The First Circuit Court of Appeals on Saturday rejected the Trump administration's attempt to implement an executive order tightening mail-in voting rules in 23 states, upholding a lower court's ruling that declared the policies unlawful ahead of November's midterm elections.
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that states may count mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day as long as they are postmarked by Election Day, rejecting a Republican National Committee challenge backed by the Trump administration. The decision upholds existing laws in more than a dozen states, including Mississippi.
U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani halted President Trump's March executive order that sought to create a federal voter list and limit mail-in voting, marking the fourth judicial defeat for the administration's election overhaul efforts. The ruling affects two dozen states that challenged the directive.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington, D.C. declined to immediately block President Trump's executive order tightening rules on mail-in voting and creating a federal voter list, though he left the door open for Democratic challengers to pursue the case after implementation steps are taken.
