Federal appeals court rejects Trump bid to enforce mail ballot order ahead of midterm elections - Fox News

What the report says

Fox News reported that the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Saturday declined to let the Trump administration enforce major portions of President Donald Trump’s March executive order on mail-in voting in 23 Democratic-led states. The 2-1 ruling denied a Justice Department request to pause a lower-court injunction while the administration continues its appeal.

The order, identified by Fox as Executive Order 14399, is part of Trump’s election-integrity agenda. According to the report, it directs the Department of Homeland Security to create lists of confirmed U.S. citizens eligible to vote for states, instructs the U.S. Postal Service to set new standards for mail ballots, and tells the Justice Department to prioritize probes of state and local officials who provide federal ballots to people considered ineligible.

The lawsuit was filed by 23 states and the District of Columbia, with California, Massachusetts, Nevada and Washington among the lead plaintiffs. They argue that states have primary constitutional authority over federal election administration and that the president overstepped by ordering federal agencies to impose new voting rules. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani blocked several provisions in June, finding they likely exceeded presidential authority.

The appeals court said the states were already facing election-related deadlines and could not wait for federal agencies to finalize implementation plans before responding. The decision keeps Talwani’s injunction in place through the appeal and may prompt the administration to seek emergency relief from the U.S. Supreme Court, as the Justice Department previously indicated it could do.