Judge blocks Trump mail-in voting order

A federal judge in Boston, Indira Talwani, issued a preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Postal Service from implementing Section 3 of President Donald Trump's executive order that sought to tighten mail-in voting rules ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections. The order, signed in March, directed the Department of Homeland Security to compile lists of eligible voters and instructed USPS to establish new standards for mail-in ballots, including refusing to deliver ballots to voters not on the list. Judge Talwani, who had previously blocked parts of the order in June, ruled that the executive branch lacks authority to regulate elections and that the administration had not defended the order's constitutionality. The ruling came in response to lawsuits by the League of Women Voters of Indiana and other voting rights groups. The Trump administration is expected to appeal to the First Circuit and has also sought Supreme Court intervention. The decision is seen as a victory for voting rights advocates and a setback for the administration's efforts to overhaul election procedures.