- US Supreme Court lifted an injunction blocking part of Trump’s mail voting order
- A separate court order restricting the Postal Service remains in place
- Democratic-led states are preparing further legal challenges to the policy
The United States Supreme Court has lifted a court order that had blocked part of President Donald Trump’s administration from implementing new restrictions on mail-in voting ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections.
However, Eko Hot Blog gathered that the court’s decision does not give the administration a free hand to implement the entire policy, as a separate injunction preventing the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing key provisions remains in effect.
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The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling along ideological lines, overturned an injunction issued in June by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston.
The case was brought by 23 mostly Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia, which challenged Trump’s executive order, arguing that it interfered with states’ constitutional authority to administer elections.
The justices said the states had moved to court prematurely because federal agencies had not yet taken concrete steps that directly harmed them. The ruling, however, leaves the states free to bring another legal challenge as the midterm elections approach.
Trump issued the executive order in March as part of his broader campaign to overhaul election procedures. It directed the Department of Homeland Security to compile voter eligibility information for states and instructed the Justice Department to prioritise investigations of election officials who provide ballots to people considered ineligible to vote in federal elections.
The order also directed the Postal Service to deliver mail-in ballots only to voters appearing on approved state lists.
Trump has repeatedly criticised mail-in voting and has pledged to restrict its use, despite limited evidence of widespread fraud involving mailed ballots.
A separate injunction issued by Judge Talwani on August 11 remains in force. That order prevents the Postal Service from implementing nationwide changes contained in Trump’s directive.
In an earlier ruling, Talwani concluded that Trump did not have the authority to dictate how states administer federal elections, noting that states have constitutional responsibility for determining voter eligibility and conducting elections.
The judge also questioned whether federal agencies could accurately compile voter eligibility lists for individual states.
The administration has nevertheless continued preparations to implement the order. The Postal Service issued a final rule on Friday requiring states to provide lists of voters who receive mail ballots and introducing unique barcodes for ballot envelopes.
Democratic officials criticised Monday’s Supreme Court decision.
California Governor Gavin Newsom accused the Trump administration of pursuing measures that could disenfranchise voters and said his state would return to court to challenge the policy.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justice Elena Kagan, dissented from the ruling, arguing that states should not be forced to wait until the administration implements the policy before challenging its legality. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson also filed a separate dissent.
New York Attorney General Letitia James described the decision as a setback but said the legal battle was not over.
The controversy comes as Republicans and Democrats prepare for competitive congressional elections in November. Democrats have traditionally relied more heavily on mail-in voting, making the proposed restrictions politically significant.
For now, the Supreme Court ruling allows part of Trump’s election order to proceed, while the remaining injunction and pending legal challenges continue to cloud the administration’s plans for mail-in voting.
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