A federal judge refused to pause Trump’s voting order, finding it too early to intervene before voter lists or mail-ballot rules are formally issued.
A federal judge in Washington declined late Wednesday to temporarily block President Donald Trump’s executive order calling for a federal voter list and new limits on mail voting, saying challengers had not shown the administration had moved far enough to justify emergency court intervention.
The ruling keeps the order alive as states prepare for the fall midterm elections, but it does not decide whether the directive is lawful. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, said Democrats and civil rights groups may return to court if the administration takes concrete steps to carry out the policy.
The challengers argued that the order would likely be found unconstitutional because election rules are set by states and Congress, not by the president. They sought a temporary restraining order during primary season, warning that changes to voting administration could disrupt preparations for the midterms.
Nichols sided for now with the Trump administration’s argument that the request was premature because the order has not yet been implemented. “Plaintiffs may, of course, renew their motions if and when those future actions occur,” he wrote. “Until then, however, Plaintiffs cannot show that preliminary injunctive relief is warranted.”
The administration has not formally issued lists of eligible voters. A separate lawsuit challenging the executive order is also moving forward in Boston. No voting changes are expected during ongoing primary elections, which continue into next month.
Juan Proaño, chief executive of the League of United Latin American Citizens, one of the groups seeking to block the order, said the plaintiffs would continue watching the administration’s next moves. “We are ready to resume the fight if and when the administration takes those next steps,” he said.
Trump issued the March order after a voting overhaul bill he supported stalled in Congress. The directive would have the federal government create a list of eligible voters and instruct the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail ballots only to people on that list.
Election officials have warned that such a system could be misused or create administrative chaos, and the postal union has objected to the prospect of mail carriers being asked to police ballots.
The order is part of a broader push by Trump to reshape election administration. Another voting-related executive order from his second term, which sought changes including documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, has been blocked by multiple federal judges.
Trump has repeatedly claimed since his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden that mail voting is rife with fraud, though audits and investigations, including Republican-led reviews, found no widespread fraud. The next major legal test is likely to come if the administration issues final postal rules or voter lists that challengers say directly affect voters.
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