DOJ Appeals Block on Trump Mail-Voting Order in 23 States as Judge Voids Key Provisions
Updated
Updated · Democracy Docket · Jul 2
DOJ Appeals Block on Trump Mail-Voting Order in 23 States as Judge Voids Key Provisions
3 articles · Updated · Democracy Docket · Jul 2
Summary
A week after U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani declared major parts of Trump’s March 2026 election order “legally void,” the Justice Department appealed to revive it in 23 Democratic-led states and D.C.
The administration argues the states lacked standing because the order had not yet been implemented and says the directive is not self-executing, but only instructs agencies to act within existing law.
Talwani’s ruling bars USPS from conditioning mail-ballot delivery on states handing over voter rolls and blocks DHS and SSA from compiling citizen lists that could function as a national voter database.
A separate order on Wednesday also imposed a nationwide injunction on USPS efforts tied to the order, while other challenges from voting-rights groups and Democratic organizations are still moving through federal courts.
Where is the constitutional line between federal oversight and state control of U.S. elections?
Could a national voter database create more security risks than it solves for elections?
Trump’s 2026 Mail Ballot Order Rejected by Courts: DOJ Lawsuits Fail, States Defend Election Control, and Voter Trust Plummets
Overview
Federal courts across the country have dismissed Department of Justice lawsuits that sought to force states to comply with federal voter roll demands, ruling that such requests would infringe on states’ constitutional authority to run elections and that the federal government lacks the legal power to create a national voter file. As a result, states have gained strong new legal precedent to resist similar federal demands. The DOJ is now appealing these losses, but a recent Sixth Circuit ruling has further strengthened the states’ position, making the dismissal of pending DOJ lawsuits, such as in Kentucky, almost certain.