A federal judge on Thursday temporarily halted attempts to implement President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting mail voting. This marks the second time the directive has been stalled, occurring about a week before the first mail ballots are scheduled to be sent out for the upcoming midterm elections.
In the US district court, Judge Indira Talwani issued a 14-day hold on the government implementing the order. This decision follows the Supreme Court's action on Monday, which overturned an earlier ruling by Judge Talwani that had blocked Trump’s order from taking effect.
Judge Talwani's ruling stated that plaintiff states lack the necessary time and funds to design new mail ballots, seek approval, order production, update election management systems, and train officials before the midterms. The latest ruling precedes a 3 September hearing, after Democrats and voting rights groups refiled lawsuits to comply with the recent Supreme Court decision.
The administration has since issued a formal rule concerning how the US Postal Service will deliver states’ mail ballots, effectively restarting the legal dispute. The Postal Service has stated it will not deliver mail ballots unless states provide a list of voters and format envelopes in a specific way.