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🇺🇸 United States /Crime & Justice

Trump administration again asks Supreme Court to allow mail-ballot restrictions

From PBS NewsHour · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency In the courts
  • The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court for an immediate stay after a federal judge blocked Postal Service enforcement of new mail-ballot restrictions.
  • The administration warned that ballots were already being mailed in some states, while Democrats and voting-rights groups called the changes unconstitutional.
  • The legal fight could affect midterm elections in which control of Congress is at stake, and the Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the plan’s legality.

The Trump administration has returned to the Supreme Court for the third time, seeking permission to enforce new restrictions on mail ballots before the midterm elections. The filing followed U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani’s extension of an order blocking the Postal Service from enforcing President Donald Trump’s executive order.

The administration says time is running out. Solicitor General John Sauer told the court that North Carolina had already begun mailing ballots, with Alabama scheduled to start on September 9 and at least five other states expected to begin during the week of September 13. Once ballot envelopes enter the mail system, he wrote, they cannot be retrieved.

Ballots have already begun to be mailed in North Carolina, and more States will begin the mailing process as the injunction remains in place, including Alabama on September 9 and at least five States the week of September 13.

· John SauerThe solicitor general warned the Supreme Court that states were already mailing ballots while the injunction remained in effect.

Sauer argued that the injunction risks “confusion and chaos” by making preparatory steps voluntary rather than mandatory. He asked the justices to impose an immediate administrative stay, followed by a full stay while the court reviews the case. The administration describes the restrictions as commonsense changes within the president’s authority to regulate the mail.

Once those ballot envelopes enter the mailstream, there is no retrieving them.

· John SauerSauer argued that the administration faced a narrowing window to change mail-ballot procedures.

The Supreme Court has allowed the plan to move forward but has not decided whether it is legal. Democratic-led states and voting-rights groups say the changes are unconstitutional, while election officials argue they lack enough time to alter their systems. Nearly one-third of U.S. voters cast mail ballots, making the dispute especially consequential for elections where control of Congress is at stake.

Trump has long sought to limit mail voting and has falsely blamed it for his 2020 loss to Joe Biden. The court battle continues even as states begin the process of sending ballots to voters.

Simply put, the best way to address respondents' fears about inability to comply with the Rule is to grant an immediate administrative stay of the order, followed by a full stay pending further review.

· John SauerThe administration asked the Supreme Court to suspend the lower court’s order.
About this summary

Originally published by PBS NewsHour in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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