Federal judge extends block on Trump executive order seeking to limit mail voting in the midterms

Federal judge extends block on Trump executive order seeking to limit Mail Voting in the midterms 1 of 2 | A large box of pre-assembled mail-in ballots at the Wake County Board of Elections on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Ramey) 2 of 2 | Wake County Board of Elections employees prepare absentee ballots to be mailed on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Ramey) By NICHOLAS RICCARDI and LINDSAY WHITEHURST Updated 12:09 AM MESZ, September 5, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit A federal judge on Friday extended her prohibition against the U.S. Postal Service implementing President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to limit Mail Voting during the midterms, putting another major obstacle in the way of the administration as the first states begin sending out mail ballots. The preliminary injunction from U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani replaces a temporary order she granted blocking the Postal Service’s plan. The Trump administration has already asked the Supreme Court to lift Talwani’s temporary order, and will likely appeal her latest ruling as well. The administration is running out of time to make big changes in voting procedures, though. North Carolina began sending out its first mail ballots Friday and more states will swiftly follow. The legal battle could have major ramifications for this year’s elections, when control of Congress is at stake. Nearly one-third of voters in the U.S. cast mail ballots and election officials contend there isn’t enough time to revise their systems to comply with the new Postal Service directives. Talwani, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, pointed to the tight timeline in her ruling. “Plaintiff States are required under state law to mail millions of ballots to voters on a prescribed timeframe. As detailed below, they are unable to pivot this late in the election cycle, nearly guaranteeing significant disenfranchisement for eligible voters,” she wrote. Trump again appeals to Supreme Court on mail-voting restrictions with Midterm Elections looming 2 MIN READ 81 Judge removes one hurdle for Trump Mail Voting order as states file new challenge before midterms 4 MIN READ 16 Judge again blocks Trump mail ballot executive order in ruling that’s likely to be swiftly appealed 4 MIN READ 16 The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. The order allows states to voluntarily use the new Postal Service system. To date, not a single state has announced that it will do so. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google and Terms of Service apply. Trump has long sought to limit Mail Voting, even though he himself often uses that method to cast his own ballot. He has falsely blamed mail balloting for his 2020 election loss, spreading baseless claims of fraud, but has so far been unable to change the longstanding voting procedure. An initial executive order Trump issued last year to change election rules, including a requirement for people to show documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, was halted by federal judges. They ruled that the Constitution gives states and, in some cases, Congress the power to set voting procedures, not the president. After Trump issued his Mail Voting executive order in March, Democrats and voting rights groups filed several lawsuits. Two ended up before Talwani, who placed an initial hold on the order in June, prohibiting its implementation until after November. But the Supreme Court late last month overturned that order. Its conservative majority pointedly did not say Trump’s move was legal but found the lawsuits were filed prematurely before the Postal Service issued its rule on how it would implement the order. The rule came out just before the Supreme Court released its ruling, and the plaintiffs re-filed their suits. LINDSAY WHITEHURST Whitehurst covers the Supreme Court and legal affairs for The Associated Press. She’s won multiple journalism awards in a career that’s spanned two decades. twitter mailto