The U.S. Justice Department filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court on Monday, asking it to suspend lower court rulings that blocked the order. The Trump administration said the request was needed to ensure that the new policies could be implemented before the midterm elections.
Signed by Trump in March, the order directs federal agencies to compile lists of eligible U.S. citizens, requires the U.S. Postal Service to send mail-voting documents only to registered voters, and calls for stricter voter registration requirements.
The order was challenged by mostly Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia, which argued that Trump had exceeded his authority. A federal court in the U.S. state of Massachusetts blocked the order, and the decision was later upheld by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Trump said the measures were intended to protect election integrity and prevent noncitizens from voting. He has for years questioned the integrity of the 2020 presidential election that he lost. Critics argue that improper voting by noncitizens is rare and that stricter requirements could make it harder for some eligible voters to cast ballots.
According to a research paper by the States United Democracy Center, a nonpartisan organization, nearly one in three Americans voted by mail in the 2024 general election, accounting for more than 48 million votes.
The paper also said that it was a voting option used by about one in four Democrats, one in five Republicans, and one in five voters registered with other parties or with no party.
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