The Supreme Court has blocked Donald Trump’s controversial plans to alter mail-in voting—over the dissents of the court’s two most right-wing members.
In an unsigned order, the court determined that the government was “unlikely to succeed on the merits” of the case, which stems from Trump’s executive order mandating a series of new rules.
Brett Kavanaugh, in a concurrence, said that while the government might ultimately win the issue, “state and local election officials do not have sufficient time to reasonably implement the rule before the election.”
But Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented.
Alito wasn’t swayed by logistical concerns about implementing the changes.
“The government has a strong interest in enforcing the rule, and implementing it will also ‘enhance the visibility of Federal Ballot Mail’ in order to better detect election fraud,” Alito wrote. “On the other side of the balance, the plaintiff States invoke the practical effects of implementing the rule close to the midterm elections. I take that problem very seriously, but it is not enough to convince me to deny the application.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
