U.S. appeals court upholds injunction that blocks Trump's order to create federal voter list
A U.S. federal appeals court has upheld an injunction blocking President Trump's executive order that sought to create a federal voter list and restrict mail-in ballot delivery. The court ruled that the administration lacked the authority to set election rules, which are primarily under state and congressional jurisdiction.
Why it matters
This ruling is a significant legal check on executive power regarding election administration ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling that, in nearly half of U.S. states, halted President Donald Trump's executive order to create a federal list of eligible voters and limit the delivery of mail ballots to only people on that list.
The ruling Saturday (July 25, 2026) by judges of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration's effort to move forward with the mail-in voting restrictions in 23 U.S. states that sued ahead of November's midterm elections.
Mr. Trump issued an executive order in March for the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the commissioner of the Social Security Administration to create a “state citizenship list” of eligible voters. It also ordered the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail ballots only to people on that list.
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