US Domestic — 2026-07-26

US Appeals Court Blocks Trump Mail-In Voting Executive Order in 23 States Ahead of Midterms

BLUFDOJ will likely seek Supreme Court emergency relief within 30 days, forcing a rapid ruling on federal authority to impose mail-ballot requirements across 23 states before November.

The 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 on Saturday against the Trump administration's bid to lift a June 25 injunction barring implementation of the president's March executive order on mail-in voting across 23 states and the District of Columbia 1234. The injunction, issued by US District Judge Indira Talwani, found the Postal Service lacks statutory authority to mandate mail-ballot envelope designs and that DHS lacks authority to compile state voter eligibility lists 14. The appeals panel rejected the Justice Department's argument that the case was premature, citing looming deadlines before the September and November elections 1. Judge Joshua Dunlap, a Trump appointee, dissented in part 4, and the Justice Department has said it may ask the Supreme Court to intervene absent a favorable 1st Circuit ruling 1.

Analysis
The ruling leaves USPS envelope mandates and DHS voter-eligibility data-sharing unenforceable through the September elections, forcing the 23 plaintiff states to finalize mail-ballot procedures under existing rules rather than Trump's revised design and eligibility requirements. The Justice Department will likely petition the Supreme Court for emergency relief within 30 days of the ruling, consistent with its stated intent to escalate absent a favorable 1st Circuit outcome and the compressed timeline before the September and November elections. Low confidence reflects the discretionary, unscheduled nature of any Solicitor General filing decision, with no confirmed petition date yet in the record. Dunlap's partial dissent targets the DHS-authority rationale rather than the USPS envelope mandate, marking the likelier axis for further appellate testing.

4 sources