The Trump administration has asked the US Supreme Court to intervene and allow executive-order restrictions on mail-in voting to take effect ahead of the November midterm elections, 99 days away.
The emergency request filed Monday follows a June ruling by US District Judge Indira Talwani, who blocked the March executive order in 23 Democratic-led states and Washington, DC, finding the president lacked authority to unilaterally alter state election administration. The First US Circuit Court of Appeals declined over the weekend to lift that injunction, warning the order's unprecedented federal involvement could spark mass confusion and disenfranchisement.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued the order amounts to general policy guidance rather than a directive overriding states. The executive order directs the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration to compile eligibility lists and instructs the US Postal Service to deliver mail ballots only to listed voters.