US Court Blocks Trump Order Restricting Mail Voting Ahead of 2026 Midterms

August 12, 2026
By Mintesinot Nigussie

A federal court has blocked the US Postal Service from enforcing part of President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting mail voting, preventing the agency from implementing the measure for the November 3 midterm elections and any earlier federal election.

The preliminary injunction, issued in a case brought by voting rights organisations, targets Section 3 of the executive order. The court said the executive branch has no authority to regulate elections and found that the order was already causing irreparable harm by creating uncertainty over mail ballots used by millions of voters.

The ruling adds to a legal challenge to Trump’s election-related executive order, which has already faced restrictions from the courts. In June, the same federal district court found key provisions of the order unconstitutional and legally void in a separate case brought by 23 states and the District of Columbia.

That earlier ruling barred federal agencies and the Postal Service from using the order to interfere with voter rolls or mail ballots in the states involved and Washington, DC. The Trump administration has appealed that decision to the US Supreme Court, which has yet to rule on its emergency request to lift the injunction.

The latest case was brought by the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, the League of Women Voters, the Association of Americans Resident Overseas, the US Vote Foundation, OCA, Asian Pacific American Advocates and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

The groups argue that the executive order could disrupt voting by mail for voters who depend on the system, including military personnel, Americans living overseas, people with disabilities, older voters and rural residents.

The plaintiffs’ lawyers welcomed the ruling, saying the president cannot use the Postal Service to alter election rules. Voting rights groups said the order had created confusion as states and local authorities prepared for the 2026 election cycle.

The White House and Trump administration face further litigation over the scope of presidential authority in election administration, with the Supreme Court expected to determine the fate of the separate June injunction.

The ruling leaves the existing state-based framework for administering mail voting in place for the affected federal elections while the broader legal challenge to Trump’s executive order continues.

Source: FSX Business News