A federal judge in Washington, D.C., declined to temporarily block President Trump’s executive order requiring restrictions on mail-in voting.
President Trump holds his signed executive order calling for restricting mail-in voting in the Oval Office of the White House in March. Another judge could rule soon on the order.
It also requires the United States Postal Service, a federal agency independent of the president’s administration, to compile lists of eligible voters and only deliver mail-in ballots to people on those lists.
Nichols concluded that it is too early for a court to issue an emergency ruling halting key parts of Trump’s order because those directives have not yet been carried out.
“The Court recognizes that the Postal Service may ultimately issue a final rule that directly affects plaintiffs or its members, or that the Government may develop state citizenship lists that omit specific individuals due to particularized defects. Plaintiffs may, of course, renew their motions when such future actions occur. Until then, however, plaintiffs cannot demonstrate that a preliminary injunction is warranted,” Nichols wrote of the decision not to block the order.
Nichols’ ruling comes as another federal judge is preparing to issue a decision in early June for a similar set of Boston-based lawsuits.
The three D.C.-based lawsuits were filed by Democrats and voting rights groups, and it is unclear whether they will file an appeal of Nichols’ ruling before the 60-day deadline at the end of July.
“Mail voting is secure, a hallmark of our free and fair elections. Trump’s order has nothing to do with election integrity. It is voter suppression, plain and simple,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said in a statement. “Democrats will do everything in our power to ensure that all Americans can exercise their right to vote.”
Danielle Lang, an attorney with the Campaign Legal Center, said opponents led by the League of United Latin American Citizens “look forward to the next stage of this litigation.”
“Across the country, the administration is attempting to illegally shape the electorate to the president’s will and sow doubt about how our elections are run, but we will continue to work to stop them at every turn,” Lang added in a statement.
Since Trump signed the order, it has been unclear whether and how it would actually affect mail-in voting, which has been taking place for state primaries in this year’s midterm elections. In early May, the administration said in a court filing that federal agencies were still deliberating on how to carry out the order. Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche later told the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that the Justice Department is working with other agencies to “make sure” the order’s goals are implemented.
Among other directives, Trump asked Postmaster General David Steiner to begin a rulemaking process by the end of May. But as of Thursday, the Postal Service had not yet released a public notice about such a process. USPS spokespeople did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for comment.
In total, opponents of the order (which also include nearly two dozen states, plus Washington, D.C.) have filed five lawsuits challenging the order.
They argue that Article I of the Constitution gives state legislatures and Congress (not the president) the power to set rules for federal elections.
Their lawsuits also contend that Trump’s order directs the USPS to establish rules on election mail that would override the mail agency’s authority.
Trump, who voted by mail in Florida in March, has said he issued the order to stop illegal noncitizen voting in federal elections, which reviews and research show is incredibly rare.
While there are voters across the partisan divide who rely on voting by mail, more registered Democrats than Republicans say they voted by mail in the last 2024 national election.
Editor’s note: USPS is a financial supporter of NPR.
Edited by Benjamin Swasey
Copyright © 2026 NPR
