Story perspectives

Appeals Court Keeps Trump Mail-In Order Blocked

7/27/2026

Summary

Court Blocks Trump

Court of Appeals denied request to lift a June 25 injunction, keeping President Donald Trump’s mail-in voting order blocked in 23 states and D.C.
A panel voted 2-1, with Judges Gustavo Gelpí and Julie Rikelman stating Constitution gives election-administering power to states, not the president.
The court rejected Justice Department’s premature-lawsuit claim and noted order’s deadlines before September primaries and November elections, while department said it may seek Supreme Court review.

Summary

Dhillon Warns

Harmeet Dhillon (former DOJ official) warned in July that registering non-citizens could trigger criminal probes.
Courts dismissed half of the DOJ’s 30 voter-roll lawsuits as arbitrary fishing expeditions.
The FBI sent 200 agents to Fulton County, Georgia, seizing 2020 ballot boxes.
Barbara McQuade says ending mail voting would aid Republicans because many use mail.
The SAVE America Act, proposing proof-of-citizenship and photo-ID, lacks 60 Senate votes to beat Democratic filibuster.

History

Historical Context

The 2000 presidential contest turned on Florida’s 537-vote margin; on Dec 12 2000 the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 per curiam opinion authored by Antonin Scalia, stopped the state-wide recount, citing unequal standards and the Dec 12 “safe-harbor” deadline. That decision set a precedent for courts to block federal election-rule changes, a principle cited today in the Trump mail-in voting litigation.

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Court Blocks Trump

Court of Appeals denied request to lift a June 25 injunction, keeping President Donald Trump’s mail-in voting order blocked in 23 states and D.C.
A panel voted 2-1, with Judges Gustavo Gelpí and Julie Rikelman stating Constitution gives election-administering power to states, not the president.
The court rejected Justice Department’s premature-lawsuit claim and noted order’s deadlines before September primaries and November elections, while department said it may seek Supreme Court review.

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