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← Signal: State & Power

Federal Judge Again Blocks Trump Mail-in Voting Restriction Order

Confirmed1 source · Sep 5, 2026

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani extended her block on Trump's executive order to restrict mail-in voting with a stronger preliminary injunction, citing impossibility of implementation close to election day.

Federal Judge Again Blocks Trump Mail-in Voting Restriction Order
Image via The Guardian

What happened

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued a preliminary injunction extending her earlier temporary block of Trump's March executive order that would restrict mail-in voting. The order would have created a nationwide list of verified eligible voters and required the USPS to work with states to limit ballot delivery only to voters on those lists. Talwani ruled that states are legally required to mail millions of ballots on prescribed timelines and cannot change course this late in the election cycle without causing "significant disenfranchisement." The Trump administration immediately appealed the ruling. A coalition of 24 state attorneys general, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, had sued to challenge the order; separately, the ACLU filed on behalf of voter service and civic groups. USPS has stated in court filings that the technology to implement the order does not exist, and a USPS whistleblower warned of "potentially catastrophic problems." No state has announced voluntary adoption of the new system.

Context

Trump's executive order reflects his ongoing effort to limit mail-in voting, which he has falsely blamed for his 2020 election loss despite lacking evidence. The timing is significant: North Carolina had just begun sending mail-in ballots for the election scheduled for November 3. The Supreme Court had previously overturned Talwani's initial hold in late September, finding the lawsuits premature before USPS issued its implementation rule; plaintiffs then refiled after USPS released that rule. Talwani's ruling is the latest in a legal back-and-forth playing out less than two months before election day. A previous Trump executive order on voting requirements was also halted by federal judges who ruled that the Constitution grants states and Congress—not the president—the power to set voting procedures.