Politics

Trump Wanted Tighter Mail-Voting Rules. A Judge Said He Lacked the Power.

Trump Wanted Tighter Mail-Voting Rules. A Judge Said He Lacked the Power.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani blocked President Donald Trump again Tuesday, stopping the Postal Service from carrying out major parts of his March executive order on mail voting before the November midterms.

The Obama-appointed judge had already ruled in June that key provisions exceeded presidential authority.

Tuesday’s ruling creates another legal hurdle for the Trump administration to overcome should it get the initial injunction lifted by the U.S. Supreme Court.

“That it is now less than 90 days before the November 3, 2026 midterm elections underscores the critical need for an injunction to prevent Defendants from changing election rules on the eve of the election,” she wrote.

The Trump administration in late July requested that the Supreme Court halt lower court decisions that have blocked the sweeping changes in nearly half the country.

In the latest lawsuit, Talwani, who was nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama, sided with the League of Women Voters and other voting rights groups.

Her ruling granting a preliminary injunction barred the Postal Service from taking any steps to implement the order for this year’s midterm elections. She said the administration has so far declined to defend the constitutionality of the executive order.

“The executive branch has no authority to regulate elections,” she wrote.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“This ruling is a victory for voters and for the Constitution,” Marcia Johnson of the League of Women Voters said in a statement. “Neither the president nor the U.S. Postal Service has the authority to rewrite election rules.”