Trump Asks Supreme Court to Allow Order Restricting Mail Voting
NYT > U.S. > Politics — 2026-07-27 16:25:00 — www.nytimes.com
Trump Pushes for Mail-In Voting Restrictions, Courts Cite False Claims and Constitutional Limits
President Trump has repeatedly criticized mail-in voting, seeking to impose restrictions through executive action and public statements. For years, Trump has made unfounded claims that mail-in voting enables widespread fraud, despite a lack of evidence supporting these assertions. His administration recently asked the Supreme Court to allow an executive order that would restrict voting by mail, after lower courts blocked key parts of the order.
Legal Showdown Over Executive Order
The executive order, signed by Trump in late March, aimed to limit mail-in voting by directing the Department of Homeland Security to create state-by-state citizen lists to determine voter eligibility and instructing the Postal Service to use these lists to decide who could vote by mail. More than 20 Democratic attorneys general challenged the order, arguing it violated the Constitution by giving the executive branch control over election functions typically regulated by Congress and the states.
Federal courts have consistently ruled against Trump’s efforts. Judge Indira Talwani, a federal district judge in Massachusetts, concluded that “the Constitution does not grant the President any specific powers over elections.” A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit upheld her decision, warning that Trump’s order could “sow confusion and threaten disenfranchisement of many eligible voters.”
False Claims About Mail-In Voting
Trump has repeatedly made baseless statements sowing doubt about the integrity of mail-in voting. The excerpt notes that he has claimed, without evidence, that mail-in voting allows widespread fraud. These claims have been widely debunked by election experts and rejected by the courts.
Supreme Court Skepticism
The Supreme Court has shown skepticism toward Trump’s efforts to restrict mail-in voting. In a recent decision, the justices upheld a Mississippi law allowing mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if received within five business days, rejecting the Trump administration’s attempt to overturn the statute. After the decision, Trump posted on social media, calling the ruling a “tremendous loss” and urging Congress to pass legislation imposing new restrictions on mail-in ballots and requiring additional voter identification.
Conclusion
Trump’s ongoing campaign against mail-in voting is built on repeated falsehoods about voter fraud and has faced strong resistance from the courts, which have emphasized that the Constitution does not grant the president authority over election administration. As the legal battle continues, the judiciary’s rulings underscore the limits of executive power and the importance of evidence-based claims in shaping election policy.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/us/politics/supreme-court-trump-mail-ballots.html