Top court upholds Trump bid to curb mail-in ballots for now

The US Supreme Court granted President Donald Trump a temporary victory on Monday by lifting a lower court block on his executive order aimed at restricting mail-in ballots ahead of the November midterm elections. Trump signed the order in March, seeking to curb the use of mail-in voting, but it faced numerous legal challenges from Democratic-led states who argued that states, not the federal government, retain control over election administration under the US Constitution.

A district court in Massachusetts initially blocked the implementation of the executive order. However, the Supreme Court, in an unsigned opinion, lifted the judge's stay, allowing parts of Trump's directive to proceed for now. The court stated that the District Court lacked jurisdiction to prohibit the government from attempting to implement the executive order.

The majority emphasized that the ruling does not signify the legality of any measures taken by the government to enforce the order, leaving such matters to be resolved through further litigation. While three liberal justices dissented, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the decision, accusing Trump of attempting to make it harder for Americans to vote to avoid accountability for his administration's faults.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a potential 2024 Democratic presidential candidate, vowed to file another lawsuit over the matter. Despite claiming without evidence that mail-in voting is susceptible to fraud, Trump has personally used mail-in ballots in recent elections and has long been a critic of the practice. The Supreme Court's decision comes as polls indicate a significant threat of Republican Party losses in the midterm elections, particularly in the lower chamber of Congress.