States vow to fight Trump after Supreme Court ruling on mail-in voting

A group of states is standing firm in their opposition to President Donald Trump following a recent Supreme Court ruling that provided a boost to the administration's push to restrict mail-in voting.

Procedural Ruling Keeps Legal Battle Alive

On Monday, the Supreme Court issued a decision that paused a lower court’s injunction against part of the president's executive order on mail voting. Notably, the Court’s 6-3 conservative majority did not rule on the legality of the underlying order itself. Instead, the justices determined that the states involved lacked the legal standing to challenge the measure at this stage, leaving the door open for future litigation.

In an unsigned order, the majority clarified: “The Court’s disposition of this application does not mean that any measure taken by the Government to implement the Order will necessarily be lawful. On that score, time will tell.”

States Vow to Continue the Fight

Attorneys general from various states wasted no time in making it clear that their resistance to the federal mandate remains steadfast. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes stated that the ruling was strictly procedural, noting that the court did not validate the executive order. “States run their own elections. Not the Postal Service. Not the President,” Mayes emphasized.

New York Attorney General Letitia James echoed those sentiments, calling the decision a “painful setback” but insisting that the fight is far from over. “The right to vote is sacred, and no administration should be allowed to put that right in jeopardy by making it harder for eligible voters to cast their ballots,” James said.

Washington AG Nick Brown argued that the Court is overlooking the risks posed to democracy, reiterating that “states control elections, not the president.” California AG Rob Bonta added that his office will continue to challenge what he described as unlawful federal overreach.

Current Status of Mail-In Ballots

According to NPR, the executive order—which dates back to March—has not yet directly impacted the ability of eligible absentee voters to cast their ballots. A separate, broader injunction remains active, preventing the U.S. Postal Service from adhering to the administration's directives for the time being.

The administration’s order aims to restrict the U.S. Postal Service to delivering mail ballots only to voters on specific lists and mandates the withholding of service from any state that fails to comply. Democratic officials representing 23 states and the District of Columbia continue to contest these directives, arguing that they invite partisan abuse and contradict the constitutional authority states hold over election administration.

The Associated Press contributed to this report for 205focus.com.