The Supreme Court’s Mail-In Ballot Ruling Is a Step Toward Chaos in the Midterms
The Supreme Court has paused a lower court injunction, allowing the Trump administration to proceed with an executive order regarding federal oversight of state elections. Critics argue the ruling creates uncertainty for the midterms, while supporters view it as a win for election integrity.
Why it matters
The ruling touches on the balance of power between federal and state governments regarding election administration and impacts voter confidence.
The Supreme Court ruling, which split along ideological lines, paused an injunction by a federal judge in Boston that prevented the Trump administration from applying provisions of the executive order to 23 states, along with the District of Columbia.
The court didn’t rule on the legality of the order, which seeks to impose federal oversight on elections that are, under the Constitution, controlled by states. The conservative majority ruled, rather, that the states that brought the lawsuit did not have standing because they could not show actual damage caused by the order.
“The court’s disposition of this application does not mean that any measure taken by the government to implement the order will necessarily be lawful,” the majority wrote in an unsigned opinion. “On that score, time will tell.”
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