Trump asks the US Supreme Court to allow voting restrictions | Court Affairs

A lower court struck down the ban on mail-in voting, ruling that Trump did not have the power to change election laws.

United States President Donald Trump’s administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow it to continue banning mail-in voting ahead of the midterm elections in November. press to change how federal elections are conducted.

In an emergency move Monday, the Justice Department asked the nation’s Supreme Court to halt a lower court ruling that has blocked parts of Trump’s March executive order in 23 Democratic-led states and Washington, DC. The suspension would remain in effect while the legal challenges continue, according to the petition.

The Executive Order he instructed government agencies to help create lists of eligible voters and ordered the US Postal Service to deliver ballots to those on the list. It also directed the Department of Justice to prioritize investigations of election officials accused of casting ballots to ineligible candidates.

US District Judge Indira Talwani struck down the law in June, saying Trump did not have the power to change how states conduct federal elections. He said that according to the Constitution, states are in charge of voting requirements.

Over the weekend, the US Court of Appeals refused to stay the decision, prompting the officials to take the matter to the Supreme Court.

In their petitions to the Supreme Court, the government officials said the law is a “guideline of basic principles” and not a law for states to conduct elections.

Attorney General John Sauer wrote: “The Act is particularly vulnerable because unions are still debating how (if at all) to comply with the Act, yet the district court deliberately ruled that whatever the unions choose to do is unconstitutional.”

He urged the Supreme Court to act quickly because the new policy must be implemented by August to be effective by the mid-November election.

Trump has been saying, without evidence, that voter corruption tampered with the 2020 presidential election and has repeatedly called into question the security of mail-in voting, even though research shows such fraud is rare.

He has promised to end mail-in voting before the midterms, which will determine which party will control the US House of Representatives and the Senate.

Voting rights advocates say banning mail-in voting could have a bigger impact on Democratic voters, who have historically been more likely to vote by mail than Republicans.