A federal judge in the US has blocked the country’s Postal Service (USPS) from implementing provisions of President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at tightening rules for mail-in voting ahead of the November midterm elections.
Judge Indira Talwani of the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a new injunction barring USPS from implementing the challenged provisions nationwide, according to an order issued Tuesday in the case brought by the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts and other plaintiffs.
The order directed, among other measures, the USPS to establish requirements for mail-in and absentee ballots, including refusing to transmit ballots that do not comply with new requirements or are not associated with voters appearing on lists provided to the Postal Service.
Talwani had previously blocked key provisions of the order in June in 23 states and Washington, DC.
The latest order extends the injunction nationwide.
The Supreme Court is currently weighing requests from the Trump administration to lift Talwani's earlier injunction against the same executive order.
'Citizenship Verification'
Several voting rights groups had urged Talwani to go further and prevent USPS from implementing anywhere in the nation a proposed rule requiring states to provide lists of voters and adopt new balloting procedures before the mail agency would make deliveries.
If states did not comply, USPS would have refused to deliver the ballots. The plaintiffs had contended USPS would have no legal basis for such a refusal.
Trump signed Executive Order 14399 titled "Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections" on March 31.
The legal dispute comes ahead of the November midterm elections, when voters will determine control of the US House of Representatives and Senate.
