Trump Rages at His Own Supreme Court Justices After 2 Federal Judges Block His Mail-in Voting Crackdown: "Big Loss for Republicans"
President Trump is attacking the three Supreme Court justices he personally appointed after a federal judge became the second to block his administration's new mail-in voting restrictions — a legal defeat that threatens Republican hopes in November's midterm elections.
The ruling marks another legal setback for the White House as it pushes to tighten voting rules ahead of the midterms.
President Donald Trump has lashed out at the three Supreme Court justices he appointed after a second federal judge blocked his administration's new mail-in voting rule, calling the decision "a big loss for Republicans" [241696].
US District Judge Carl Nichols, based in Washington, issued the ruling late Sunday, stopping the administration from enforcing a new US Postal Service (USPS) rule that would have tightened mail-in voting requirements [241300]. The decision adds another legal obstacle for the White House as it tries to put the rule into effect.
The US Supreme Court is still reviewing the administration's request to overturn a separate order that also blocks the rule [241300]. The legal fight comes as Trump's Republicans battle to keep control of both houses of Congress in the November 3 midterm elections [241300].
Trump criticized the three justices he appointed for blocking the Postal Service rule, which would have allowed mail-in ballots in November's elections [241696]. He called the decision "a big loss for Republicans" [241696].
The president is also pushing a government-wide effort to increase his control over state-run elections, a move that continues even after a loss at the Supreme Court [241391]. The effort also aims to raise doubts about election results, even though state governments currently run their own elections [241391].
Separately, a federal whistleblower alleges that Department of Homeland Security agents may have violated state laws during a voter fraud operation [241364]. The department deployed extra personnel for what it called the Unlawful Voter Initiative, according to the whistleblower [241364]. The claim raises questions about whether federal agents overstepped their legal authority in states with their own election rules [241364].