US appeals court halts Trump's mail-in voting order, warns it would 'cause chaos' before midterms

The ruling

A three-judge panel of the First Circuit Court of Appeals kept in place a June decision by a Massachusetts federal court that declared central provisions of Trump's March 2026 executive order on mail-in voting "unlawful, null, and void." The judges wrote that the order "orders an unprecedented level of involvement by federal officials in how states conduct elections." They added that if it took effect before special congressional elections, it "would cause chaos and threaten to disenfranchise many eligible voters."

The order would cause chaos and threaten to disenfranchise many eligible voters.

One of the three judges, Joshua D. Dunlap, agreed in part with the majority but wrote a separate opinion noting the case had an "unusual character," though the order itself "threatens harm to the lawful election process."

The case has an unusual character, though the order itself threatens harm to the lawful election process.

The order and its provisions

The presidential executive order, issued in March 2026, required the Department of Homeland Security to compile state-level lists of citizens to verify voting eligibility and involved the federal Postal Service in confirming voter data. The Postal Service later published draft rules aligned with many of the administration's demands.

Legal challenge

More than 20 Democratic state attorneys general sued to block the order, arguing it overstepped executive authority. The Constitution grants the power to organize elections to states and Congress, not the executive branch. Trump has long campaigned against mail-in voting through executive orders and legislative proposals, claiming postal voting enables election fraud.

Next steps

Trump's lawyers indicated they may appeal the appellate ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. The underlying litigation will continue as the administration weighs its options before the next congressional election cycle.