Trump Gets Big Court Win, Dems Panic

A federal judge in Boston has lifted a nationwide injunction that had blocked new federal restrictions involving mail-in voting, temporarily clearing the way for the Trump administration to move forward with the rules ahead of the November midterm elections.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani granted the Justice Department’s request to reconsider her earlier ruling after the Supreme Court determined that a separate legal challenge to President Donald Trump’s order had been brought too early.

Talwani said the Supreme Court’s decision changed the legal circumstances surrounding the case because the U.S. Postal Service has now issued a final rule. As a result, the groups challenging the administration’s policy may need to update their lawsuit before the court can determine whether the restrictions can ultimately stand.

The judge wrote that the plaintiffs were unlikely to prevail on the issue of whether their lawsuit was legally ripe without amending their complaint to account for the newly finalized rule.

The dispute was brought by the League of Women Voters and other voting-rights organizations, which have challenged the administration’s efforts to impose new requirements affecting mail-in voting.

The groups are expected to file a supplemental complaint now that the Postal Service has finalized its rule, potentially setting up another round of litigation over the restrictions.

For now, Wednesday’s ruling removes the nationwide block that had prevented the administration from implementing the changes. It does not, however, represent a final ruling that the mail-in voting restrictions are lawful.

The legal battle could therefore continue as the groups revise their challenge and the courts consider the substance of the new rules. With the November midterm elections approaching, the timing of the dispute could make the case particularly significant for election officials, voters and political campaigns.