Federal judge blocks Trump executive order restricting mail-in voting

A federal judge has blocked an executive order from the Trump administration that sought to restrict mail-in voting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. In the case of The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts v. Trump, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled that the order would cause ‘irreparable harm’ and confusion for voters and voting rights organizations.

The executive order, identified as EO 14399, aimed to prevent undocumented immigrants from voting via mail-in ballots. It proposed that the U.S. Postal Service provide states with lists of individuals enrolled with the USPS, alongside unique ballot envelope identifiers such as barcodes.

Plaintiffs argued the order was unconstitutional, claiming it violated the separation of powers, exceeded the USPS's authority, and infringed upon the Tenth Amendment by coercing states to alter their election laws. The ruling maintains current mail-in voting regulations for the upcoming midterms.

In a related legal development, the Supreme Court upheld a Mississippi law that allows mail ballots to be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day and received within five business days, a decision that preserves similar practices in several other states.