Federal Judge Halts Executive Order on Mail-In Ballots

A federal judge has prevented the U.S. Postal Service from implementing an executive order concerning mail-in ballots. This order, issued by President Donald Trump, required states to provide a list of mail-in voters before the postal service could deliver ballots. However, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan’s decision stops this order nationwide.

Judge Sullivan emphasized that the order contradicts a settlement from an earlier lawsuit in 2020 between the postal service and the NAACP. This agreement allowed courts to supervise the postal service’s actions in managing and delivering Election Mail. According to Sullivan, the order breaches this agreement because it prevents the postal service from delivering ballots unless states certify a voter list.

“The Proposed Rule violates paragraph 2 of the Agreement because the Postal Service cannot post documents reflecting ‘practices and policies for prioritizing the monitoring and timely delivery of Election Mail’ if its policies provide that it will not accept ‘noncompliant mailing’ and therefore will not deliver mail-in or absentee ballots to some voters, and if it will not mail ballots to any voters in a state where the state ‘declines or fails to certify a list,’” Sullivan stated.

This ruling followed a case where nearly 25 states had already opposed Trump’s order, successfully blocking its execution in their jurisdictions. Sullivan’s decision now extends the block across the entire country.

The ruling coincided with another legal challenge against Trump’s efforts, which included a blocked attempt by an Obama-appointed judge. This attempted to prevent noncitizens from participating in federal elections.

This earlier case targeted Trump’s executive order, EO 14248, which called for a federal voter registration list and new mail voting restrictions to combat voter fraud.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson stated that President Trump aims to ensure public confidence in electoral processes. She added that the administration believes the executive order is lawful and expects to enforce it successfully.