Judge Declines To Halt Trump Order Reshaping Mail-In Voting Rules
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, May 28, 2026, declined to block President Trump's executive order reshaping mail-in voting rules.[1]
Judge Carl Nichols denied motions for a preliminary injunction, finding plaintiffs had not shown the concrete harm required for such relief.[1] Nichols said agencies including the U.S. Postal Service have not issued final rules or put the order's directives into effect, so the court could not yet intervene.[1]
The March 31, 2026, executive order directs the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to compile state-by-state lists of adult U.S. citizens and send them to state election officials.[1] It also directs the Postal Service to develop lists of eligible voters and to deliver mail-in ballots only to people on those lists.[1] Five lawsuits filed by Democrats, voting rights groups, and nearly two dozen states plus Washington, D.C., say the order exceeds presidential power under Article I and oversteps the Postal Service's statutory authority.[1]
A separate federal judge in Boston is expected to rule in coming weeks on similar requests to block parts of the order.[1] The decision leaves the issue unresolved until rulemaking or further court rulings clarify how the order will function.
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📌 Key Facts
- On Thursday, May 28, 2026, Judge Carl Nichols denied motions for a preliminary injunction against Trump’s March 31, 2026 executive order on voting by mail.
- The order directs DHS and the Social Security Administration to create state-by-state lists of adult U.S. citizens and send them to state election officials.
- It also directs the U.S. Postal Service to develop lists of eligible voters and to deliver mail-in ballots only to those on its lists.
- Nichols found plaintiffs could not yet show the concrete harm needed for preliminary relief because USPS and other agencies have not issued final rules or implemented the directives.
- Five lawsuits by Democrats, voting rights groups, and almost two dozen states plus Washington, D.C., argue the order exceeds presidential authority under Article I and oversteps USPS’s statutory powers.
- A separate federal judge in Boston is expected to rule in coming weeks on similar requests to block parts of the order.
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