Trump Appeals Ruling That Blocked Parts of His Extreme Anti-Voting Order

President Donald Trump appealed a federal court order that blocked core provisions of his executive order that voting rights advocates say could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.

In a notice filed Thursday, Trump asked the First Circuit Court of Appeals to review a preliminary injunction order from June that temporarily stopped enforcement of several voting-related mandates from his executive order.

U.S. District Judge Denise Casper, appointed by former President Barack Obama, halted enforcement of several provisions of Trump’s March order, ruling that the president lacks the authority to unilaterally impose new voter registration requirements. 

“The States have shown the risk of irreparable harm in the absence of an injunction,” Casper wrote in June. “The challenged sections of the Executive Order would burden the States with significant efforts and substantial costs.”

Those sections included documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register, requiring public assistance agencies to verify citizenship before providing registration forms and  targeting states that receive and count ballots arriving after Election Day. 

Casper later amended her order to apply only to the 19 states that brought the lawsuit, following a Supreme Court ruling limiting nationwide injunctions.

The case stems from a lawsuit brought by California and 18 other states, which argued that the executive order violated federal law and their authority to run elections.

“The President’s constitutional role in elections is limited to competing in them and enforcing election laws enacted by Congress,” the states argued in their complaint. “President Trump and his administration cannot bypass the ordinary legislative process to legislate by fiat.”

Casper found that the states were likely to succeed in their claims that Trump’s order violated both the Constitution and federal law, including the National Voter Registration Act and Help America Vote Act.

If the appellate court reverses the injunction, it could lead to uncertainty and confusion ahead of the midterm elections.