DOJ asks Supreme Court to allow Trump to impose restrictions on mail-in voting ahead of election
The administration is seeking to have the Supreme Court clear the way for the Postal Service to implement its plan in time for the election, after a federal judge temporarily blocked the new rules.
Exterior view of the U.S. Department of Justice
The Department of Justice asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to allow the Postal Service to implement President Donald Trump's executive order regarding mail-in voting before the midterm election.
The administration is seeking for the Supreme Court to clear the way for the Postal Service to implement its plan in time for the election, after a federal judge temporarily blocked the new rules.
The Supreme Court had previously lifted the injunction against Trump's executive order. However, Federal Judge Indira Talwani of the U.S. District Court in Boston has temporarily suspended the final plan submitted by the Postal Service to implement the presidential directive.
"The district court’s continued prejudgment of the rule is baseless," wrote Solicitor General D. John Sauer in the petition filed with the Supreme Court and obtained by The Hill.
Talwani, appointed by former President Barack Obama, has so far maintained the temporary suspension of the Postal Service rule, pending the next phase of the legal proceedings.
The election calendar is adding pressure to the case. There are approximately 60 days left until the midterm election, and Sauer noted that North Carolina plans to begin mailing ballots this Friday, while Alabama will do the same next week.
What is Trump's petition about?
If a ballot does not meet the established specifications or the voter is not on the provided list, the Postal Service would refuse to deliver it.
The new rules have been challenged in court by several states governed by Democrats. The plaintiffs argue that the regulations interfere with state election administration and that the Postal Service lacks the authority to impose these requirements.
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