WASHINGTON: The Trump mail voting appeal moved to the First US Circuit Court of Appeals on August 28 after a federal judge temporarily blocked parts of a new Postal Service rule for 14 days.
US District Judge Indira Talwani issued the temporary restraining order in Boston on August 27. She found that the states and organisations.
Challenging the rule had shown sufficient grounds for temporary relief while their broader constitutional and statutory claims remain before the court.
The US Department of Justice filed its notice of appeal the following day. The filing asks the First Circuit to review Talwani’s latest intervention in litigation surrounding President Donald Trump’s March executive order and the Postal Service’s subsequently finalised rule.
The dispute follows a US Supreme Court ruling earlier this week that lifted a prior injunction on procedural grounds.
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The justices did not determine whether the administration’s policy was ultimately lawful, leaving the merits open to further litigation after the Postal Service issued its final rule.
Talwani’s August 27 order applies for 14 days while the court considers requests for longer-term relief. A hearing on the underlying challenge is scheduled for September 3.
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The Justice Department has argued that the federal rule does not displace state election law. Challengers, including Democratic-led states and voting-rights organisations, contend that the administration exceeded federal authority.
