Federal judge blocks Trump order asserting control over mail voting

A federal judge in Boston issued a nationwide order Wednesday blocking an executive order from President Donald Trump that sought to assert federal control over mail-in voting rules ahead of the November midterms. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled in a case brought by the League of Women Voters, finding the order unconstitutionally inserted the executive branch into election regulation, an area traditionally left to the states.

The ruling bars the U.S. Postal Service from refusing to transmit mail-in or absentee ballots and prohibits the agency from issuing further rules or regulations to carry out the executive order. Talwani had previously paused the order in some states through an earlier ruling limited to states whose attorneys general sued; Wednesday's order applies across the country.

The government had argued the case was premature, saying the Postal Service first needed to finalize rules under the order before courts could review it. Talwani rejected that argument, writing that with fewer than 90 days remaining before the midterms, millions of voters who rely on mail voting needed clarity and that an injunction was necessary to prevent changes to election rules on the eve of the vote.

Talwani's order also pointed to federal law, including the National Voter Registration Act, under which Congress can set national standards for federal elections but leaves administration of elections to individual states.

Read the full story at alternet.org.