Narrow mail-in voting ruling by Supreme Court adds uncertainty to midterm elections without addressing constitutionality of Trump’s executive order

The Conversation (US) reports that the Supreme Court, in a six-to-three ruling on Tuesday, lifted a block on President Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting. The decision is procedural, not a ruling on the order's constitutionality. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, warning it would create a 'Kafkaesque nightmare' and inject chaos into the midterm elections. The order, issued in March, requires the Department of Homeland Security to share citizenship lists with states, directs the attorney general to prioritize prosecutions of election officials, and gives the Postal Service authority to refuse to transmit ballots not on a list. States had sued, arguing the president lacks authority, and a lower court had temporarily blocked the order. The Supreme Court said the states lacked standing at this point, but that could change once the rules take effect. The decision adds uncertainty for election officials and voters, and the court will eventually have to decide the case on its merits.

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