What we're watching
This week marked another chapter in the fight over Trump's executive order attacking mail voting, which instructs the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to deliver mail ballots only to voters on approved lists. Here's what you need to know.
In June, a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled on a lawsuit against the Trump administration brought by 23 states and the District of Columbia. The judge blocked the USPS from implementing the executive order in those jurisdictions, finding major parts of it “legally void” for exceeding the president’s power and encroaching on states’ authority to administer elections.
This week, given the limited time before Election Day, the same federal judge issued an order in a separate lawsuit, this time blocking the USPS from implementing the executive order nationwide.
Meanwhile, in two separate lawsuits, the federal appellate court for the District of Columbia has allowed the federal government to continue implementing the order.
Here's where things currently stand: the Trump administration appealed to the Supreme Court, which has accepted briefing on an emergency stay request. A ruling is expected imminently, either suspending the order or affirming it.
Let's be clear. Should SCOTUS rule in favor of the Trump Administration, the fight is not over. If the Court lifts the current injunction, the USPS says it will move to “issue a final rule” implementing Trump’s executive order, opening a new avenue for litigation.