DENVER — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday voted 6-3 to temporarily lift a federal injunction blocking key portions of President Donald Trump's executive order on mail ballots.
However, it remains unclear how much can be implemented before the fast-approaching midterm elections.
The decision allows parts of the administration's election-related directives to move forward while legal challenges continue.
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold criticized the decision, saying that states would continue to fight.
“I am disappointed that the Supreme Court’s conservative majority did not stop the Trump administration’s attempt to exert federal control over state-run elections. Make no mistake: when the federal government attempts to implement this unlawful Executive Order, Colorado and other states across the country will fight back. This is not the end of this fight. Americans will have their voices heard in the 2026 midterm election, Griswold said in a statement.
The secretary of state did not specify what impact, if any, this ruling will have on Colorado's mail-in ballot system, where ballots are automatically mailed to registered voters.
The decision permits the Department of Homeland Security to share voter eligibility information with states. It allows the Department of Justice to prioritize prosecutions of election officials who send ballots to individuals not included on federal eligibility lists, according to Griswold’s office.
The court’s order opens the door for the administration to take action to restrict mail voting. Still, it could also lead to a bevy of further litigation that could freeze the federal government again, all starting 10 days before the first mail ballots in the nation are scheduled to be sent to overseas and military voters from North Carolina.
Trump’s executive order, signed in March, calls on his administration to create lists of eligible voters and orders the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail ballots only to people on those lists.
The executive order is one of two election-related directives issued during Trump's second term; much of an earlier order affecting voter registration requirements remains blocked by the courts.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
