US federal appeals court rules US President Donald Trump cannot implement mail-in voting order

A federal appeals court on Saturday declined to allow former US President Donald Trump's administration to implement an executive order aimed at tightening rules for mail-in voting in 23 states. The Boston-based 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the administration's request to lift an injunction secured by several Democratic-led states on June 25. The lower court had concluded that key parts of Trump's order were unconstitutional, with the appeals court stating, "The Plaintiff States have no practical choice but to respond to the (order) now." The order, signed in March, directed the Department of Homeland Security to compile voter eligibility lists and required the US Postal Service to only deliver ballots to voters on approved mail-in ballot lists. US District Judge Indira Talwani, who issued the initial injunction, ruled that the president lacked authority for these directives and could not "intimidate local election officials to use the necessarily incomplete confirmed citizenship lists as a resource, lest they face criminal prosecution."