The US Supreme Court on August 24 ruled along ideological lines in a 6-3 decision, backing President Donald Trump in his effort to tighten mail-in voting. The ruling lifted an injunction issued by a Massachusetts judge in June against the president's executive order. However, a second injunction remains in effect, and the ruling leaves the door open for further appeals.
Under Trump's plan, the government would create a "state citizen list" of eligible voters, and only those on the list would receive mail-in ballots. He also directed the Department of Justice to prioritize investigating and prosecuting local election officials who send ballots to people deemed ineligible to vote in federal elections.
Trump has repeatedly likened mail-in voting to fraud, despite having used the method himself and evidence showing that mail-in voting systems are secure.
In a sharply worded dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote that the decision "needlessly injects chaos and instability into the upcoming midterm elections."
Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, warned: "This ruling is a reminder that democracy is never guaranteed. We must fight for it, preserve it, and protect the rights we have... They are trying to do everything they can to make voting harder."
