The Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for the Trump administration to begin enforcing new restrictions on mail-in voting ahead of the November midterms.
In a 6-3 decision, the justices lifted a lower-court injunction that had blocked key parts of a presidential executive order. The order directs the Department of Homeland Security to compile citizenship-verified lists of eligible voters and instructs the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail-in ballots only to people appearing on those approved lists.
According to the court’s unsigned opinion, the executive order itself does not impose new obligations directly on the states and therefore did not cause the concrete harm needed for the earlier injunction. The majority said the challenge brought by 23 states and the District of Columbia was premature because the government had not yet fully implemented the measures.
The ruling allows federal agencies to move forward with creating the citizenship lists and related Postal Service procedures. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.
The executive order, signed earlier this year, aims to limit mail-in ballots to verified U.S. citizens by cross-checking against federal data. The administration has argued the steps are needed to protect election integrity. Challenging states contended the order exceeds presidential authority and could disrupt state-run elections.
The Supreme Court emphasized that its decision does not determine whether every future action taken under the order will be lawful. Additional legal challenges remain possible as implementation proceeds, and a separate injunction in another case continues to limit some Postal Service steps nationwide.
With the midterms approaching, the administration has indicated it intends to put the revised rules into effect. The Postal Service and Justice Department previously said they would begin implementing the restrictions once the injunction was lifted.
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