{"id":19142,"date":"2026-07-27T19:47:56","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T14:47:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=19142"},"modified":"2026-07-27T19:47:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T14:47:56","slug":"appeals-court-says-trump-cant-impose-restrictions-on-mail-in-voting-for-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=19142","title":{"rendered":"Appeals court says Trump can&#8217;t impose restrictions on mail-in voting for now\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \">A federal appeals court has rejected the Trump administration&#8217;s attempt to implement<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->an <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/Politics\/trump-signs-executive-order-aimed-cracking-mail-voting\/story?id=131592101\" dir=\"ltr\">executive order restricting mail-in voting<\/a> ahead of the midterm elections.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston on Saturday kept in place an order that blocked the proposed changes to mail-in voting in the 23 states that sued over the executive order.<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;Under the Constitution, state and local officials are responsible for administering federal elections,&#8221; the court<!-- -->\u00a0<a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstorage.courtlistener.com%2Frecap%2Fgov.uscourts.ca1.54507%2Fgov.uscourts.ca1.54507.00108481937.0_1.pdf&amp;data=05%7C02%7CJohn.Helton%40abc.com%7C680bfa3fc382489cbf3108deeb300eee%7C56b731a8a2ac4c32bf6b616810e913c6%7C1%7C0%7C639206788799654690%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=CU77lALodNPsOKZe6C37B%2FvdMvjAmuOdzc%2BrlHrqHbQ%3D&amp;reserved=0\" dir=\"ltr\">said<\/a>\u00a0<!-- -->in 2-1 decision.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur gIjeL \" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/f26df996-5ad1-4c66-9f7e-0bd0a7f60856\/mail-in-voting-20260726-ap-jh_1785084244662_hpMain.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/f26df996-5ad1-4c66-9f7e-0bd0a7f60856\/mail-in-voting-20260726-ap-jh_1785084244662_hpMain.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/f26df996-5ad1-4c66-9f7e-0bd0a7f60856\/mail-in-voting-20260726-ap-jh_1785084244662_hpMain.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/f26df996-5ad1-4c66-9f7e-0bd0a7f60856\/mail-in-voting-20260726-ap-jh_1785084244662_hpMain.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"PHOTO: CA: Los Angeles County Election Workers Continue Ballot Processing Following Election Day\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/f26df996-5ad1-4c66-9f7e-0bd0a7f60856\/mail-in-voting-20260726-ap-jh_1785084244662_hpMain.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">Los Angeles County election workers process ballots at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center in the City of Industry, California, on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Weston Hancock\/Sipa USA via AP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The ruling comes one week after another federal appeals court in Washington state said a similar ruling had to be set aside for now &#8212; leaving it uncertain if the U.S. Postal Service would attempt to make the changes in 27 states not covered by the injunction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Trump has consistently made unfounded allegations of mail-in voting fraud.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">A November 2025<!-- -->\u00a0<a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.brookings.edu%2Farticles%2Fmail-voting-in-the-us-data-points-to-very-low-fraud-and-significant-benefits-to-voters%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7CIvan.Pereira%40abc.com%7C377892d452cd4029edd308de8f6da5ee%7C56b731a8a2ac4c32bf6b616810e913c6%7C1%7C0%7C639105898391172501%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=91DtR%2F9iaB4mzPUFvwcBNZPzdrW2X01shC6y6rnZ2rY%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" dir=\"ltr\">analysis<\/a>\u00a0<!-- -->by the Brookings Institution found that &#8220;cases of fraud involving any form of mail ballots were very rare.&#8221;<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;We find an average total mail voting fraud percentage across the 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022 general elections of only 0.000043%, or about four cases of mail voting fraud out of every 10 million mail votes,&#8221; the report said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">And the conservative Heritage Foundation database shows only 387 instances of fraudulent use of absentee ballots across every election recorded since 1982.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Following a March 2026 executive order directing increased federal oversight of mail-in voting, the Postal Service in June proposed a rule to create state lists of approved voters as well as impose stricter regulations on mail-in ballots.<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The majority<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->of the First Circuit panel that voted to halt the Trump\u2019s executive order noted that it<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->imposes &#8220;unprecedented levels of involvement by federal officials in how states administer elections&#8221; and would &#8220;sow confusion and threaten disenfranchisement of many eligible voters&#8221; if enacted by the November midterm elections.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The First Circuit&#8217;s decision applies only to the 23 states that sued over the executive order, possibly creating an uneven legal landscape between red and blue states. A federal appeals court in D.C. last week lifted an injunction that more broadly blocked the executive order, and it is unclear if the Postal Service plans to move forward with the changes in states not covered by the remaining injunction.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;I don&#8217;t think anything stops them from going through with the rulemaking and enforcing the rule in the states that aren&#8217;t covered by the Massachusetts injunction,&#8221; Daniel Griffith, the senior director of policy at Secure Democracy USA, told ABC News.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">A spokesperson for the Postal Service last week declined to comment if the agency planned to move forward with the restrictions. The Trump administration has signaled it might appeal the case to the Supreme Court.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur gIjeL \" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/84142dee-e9c8-4c32-b625-30ec5d1e02da\/david-steiner-20260726-ap-jh_1785084850564_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/84142dee-e9c8-4c32-b625-30ec5d1e02da\/david-steiner-20260726-ap-jh_1785084850564_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/84142dee-e9c8-4c32-b625-30ec5d1e02da\/david-steiner-20260726-ap-jh_1785084850564_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/84142dee-e9c8-4c32-b625-30ec5d1e02da\/david-steiner-20260726-ap-jh_1785084850564_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"PHOTO: Postmaster General at a Senate Hearing\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/84142dee-e9c8-4c32-b625-30ec5d1e02da\/david-steiner-20260726-ap-jh_1785084850564_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">U.S. Postmaster General David Steiner speaks at a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Michael Brochstein\/Sipa USA via AP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;Because of pending litigation, we have no response to offer on any questions related to the Executive Order or the proposed rule,&#8221; the spokesperson said.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \"><a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/Politics\/postal-service-deliver-ballots-states-refuse-turn-voter\/story?id=134185698\" dir=\"ltr\">Postmaster General David Steiner told Congress in June<\/a> that the Postal Service, under the proposed rule, would refuse to deliver ballots in states that refuse to enforce the new changes.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;Yes or no &#8212; if a state refuses to turn their absentee voter list over to the federal government, will the Postal Service still mail their ballots under this proposed rule?&#8221; Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., asked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN \">&#8220;Under our proposed regulation, no. We would tell the state that we need the manifest,&#8221;<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->Steiner replied.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A federal appeals court has rejected the Trump administration&#8217;s attempt to implement\u00a0an executive order restricting mail-in voting ahead of the midterm elections.\u00a0 The First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston on Saturday kept in place an order that blocked the proposed changes to mail-in voting in the 23 states that sued over the executive order.\u00a0\u00a0&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19143,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/f26df996-5ad1-4c66-9f7e-0bd0a7f60856\/mail-in-voting-20260726-ap-jh_1785084244662_hpMain_16x9.jpg?w=1600","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abc-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19142\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}