The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for the Trump administration to begin enforcing an executive order that imposes restrictions on mail-in voting ahead of the November elections. The unsigned majority opinion paused a federal judge’s injunction that had barred the government from applying provisions of the order in 23 states and the District of Columbia.
The order, signed by President Donald Trump in March, includes three key provisions: directing the Department of Homeland Security to compile state citizenship lists, prioritizing investigations into ineligible voters, and requiring states to share voter rolls with the U.S. Postal Service. The court ruled that the states challenging the order lacked standing because the provisions had not yet been implemented, leaving no immediate injury to justify their lawsuit.
The majority emphasized the government would suffer irreparable harm if the injunction remained, noting that mail-in voting deadlines are imminent. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, arguing the order’s goal was to disrupt elections. Justice Sonia Sotomayor joined a separate opinion stressing the ruling only postpones legal challenges, not their validity.
