Judge blocks – A federal judge in Boston blocked key parts of President Donald Trump’s March executive order on mail voting, ruling the plans to intervene in state-run elections were unconstitutional. The decision follows another federal ruling that permanently barred Trump
The order was still in motion when U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston stepped in—stopping key parts of President Donald Trump’s executive order on mail voting before they could take effect.
On Thursday, the judge blocked enforcement of parts of Trump’s March plan, declaring the government’s plan to intervene in state-run elections unconstitutional. The ruling came as Trump’s broader push to reshape election rules has intensified since he returned to office last year.
Trump’s March executive order directed the creation of federal lists of voters. It also asked the Postal Service to only deliver mail ballots to certain people on those lists. Talwani’s decision halted that direction.
The block is a blow to Trump, though one described as expected, heading into this fall’s midterm elections. Election experts had anticipated the order would be challenged because the Constitution gives control over election administration to the states.
The mail voting fight didn’t start in a vacuum. A separate ruling from a federal judge in Boston on Wednesday permanently barred Trump from implementing the first executive order he signed on elections in his second term. That Wednesday decision targeted a requirement that voters show proof of citizenship when registering.
Trump’s approach has been fueled by his own baseless allegations of widespread fraud. He has made major changes to American elections a key priority since returning to office last year.
Beyond the two executive orders, the president has been advancing other efforts described as floating nationalizing elections. At the same time, his administration has sought access to state’s voter rolls and is investigating past elections.
Trump has also pressed for Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which proposes new proof-of-citizenship and voter ID requirements. The bill lacks the necessary support in the GOP-led Senate under current rules.
That pressure spilled into high-stakes timing with other legislation. On Wednesday, Trump canceled plans to sign a major bipartisan piece of legislation designed to lower the cost of housing, saying the SAVE America Act must pass first.
The push inside the administration extends beyond the White House as well. The report notes Trump’s administration includes people involved in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Kurt Olsen. now director of election security and integrity at the White House. and Heather Honey. who works on election issues at the Department of Homeland Security. were both involved in discussions on the March executive order.
Even with all that momentum, the administration has struggled to show evidence of the widespread voter fraud Trump claims occurred in the 2020 election.
Trump mail voting executive order Indira Talwani Boston midterm elections SAVE America Act Postal Service voter rolls proof of citizenship election security Heather Honey Kurt Olsen
So basically they’re blocking mail voting now? Kinda wild.
I don’t even get it, didn’t he already fix this like last week? If the judge says it’s unconstitutional then okay, but the Postal Service thing sounds like it would’ve stopped cheating or whatever. Idk I’m just tired of the whole fraud talk.
Wait, it says federal judge blocked parts, but aren’t they the ones who decide election stuff? Like Boston judge controlling my state? Also “only deliver mail ballots to certain people” sounds like they were making it harder for everyone, which is messed up.
This is why nothing ever gets done. One judge blocks one order, then another judge blocks the previous one, and meanwhile people still can’t just vote without some fight. They mention “federal lists of voters” like that’s automatically bad but I thought voter rolls were already kinda federal-ish? And the citizenship proof thing… I swear I saw a headline saying it was already settled, so what’s going on now?