The Justice Department has appealed a federal judge’s 14-day order preventing the U.S. Postal Service from implementing parts of new mail-voting regulations, escalating the dispute just days before some states begin distributing ballots for the November midterms.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Trump administration moved Friday to overturn a federal judge’s temporary block on new U.S. Postal Service regulations affecting mail-in voting, asking an appeals court to intervene as states prepare to begin sending ballots for the November congressional elections.
The U.S. Department of Justice on Aug. 28 filed a notice of appeal challenging an Aug. 27 ruling by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston.
Talwani issued a 14-day temporary restraining order preventing USPS from implementing portions of a rule intended to tighten requirements surrounding mail-in voting.
The order came at the request of several states and voting-rights organizations.
The administration is now asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to review that decision.
The filing itself does not explain the government’s legal arguments or provide specific reasons for the appeal.
The dispute comes immediately after a separate Supreme Court ruling involving President Donald Trump’s broader election policies.
On Aug. 24, the Supreme Court issued a decision that led to the lifting of earlier injunctions blocking portions of Trump’s effort to ensure that only U.S. citizens receive and cast ballots.
Three days later, Talwani imposed the new temporary restriction on USPS regulations connected to mail voting.
Her order pauses implementation for two weeks while the legal challenge continues.
The timing has added urgency to the case because some states are expected to begin mailing midterm ballots within days.
The administration’s appeal seeks to move the dispute quickly to the First Circuit rather than allowing the temporary order to remain uncontested through the initial stages of ballot distribution.
The underlying litigation involves questions over how far the federal government may go in changing procedures related to mailed ballots ahead of an election.
The Trump administration has argued more broadly that new safeguards are necessary to ensure that ballots are cast only by eligible U.S. citizens.
States and voting-rights groups challenging the regulations have sought to prevent changes they contend could disrupt established election procedures close to the November vote.
The Aug. 28 DOJ filing does not resolve that broader dispute.
Instead, it formally places Talwani’s temporary restraining order before the appeals court and asks the First Circuit to consider whether the block should remain in place.
For now, the USPS restrictions covered by the judge’s order remain paused while the appeal proceeds.
With ballot distribution approaching in several states, the First Circuit could soon determine whether the administration may begin implementing the new regulations before the 14-day order expires.
Original article
Comments