Appeals court upholds injunction blocking Trump's federal voter list order

A U.S. appeals court has upheld an injunction that prevents the Trump administration from implementing an executive order intended to create a federal list of eligible voters and limit the delivery of mail-in ballots. The ruling, issued by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, affirmed a lower court's decision, marking a significant legal setback for the former president's efforts to exert federal control over state election procedures.

The executive order, issued by then-President Trump in March, mandated that the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the commissioner of the Social Security Administration compile a "state citizenship list" of eligible voters. It also directed the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail ballots exclusively to individuals on this new federal list. Trump asserted these measures were necessary safeguards against non-U.S. citizens voting, but state election officials criticized the proposed changes as potentially disruptive and susceptible to abuse.

A coalition of 23 states and the District of Columbia challenged the order, arguing in a lawsuit filed in Boston that the president lacked the constitutional authority to set election rules, which traditionally rests with states and Congress. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani initially agreed, issuing an injunction that halted the order's implementation, a decision now affirmed by the appeals court.