A federal judge has refused to block President Donald Trump’s executive order to create a federal voter list and restrict voting by mail.

Why did the federal judge strike down the Democrats’ motion?

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols, a Trump appointee in Washington, D.C., denied Democrats and several civil rights groups’ request for a preliminary injunction that would have immediately blocked Trump’s order while the case proceeds.

Nichols said in his ruling that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate they would suffer immediate and irreparable harm, allowing the order to remain in place for now.

Federal courts at different levels have challenged various actions taken by Trump and his administration during his second term. However, Nichols’ ruling is the latest move regarding voting rights and the midterm elections in the fall. In 2025, a separate Trump executive order on voting was blocked by the courts, according to NPR.

Judge Carl Nichols’ stated that ‘Plaintiffs cannot show that preliminary injunctive relief is warranted’

Nichols also stated that it was too early to decide whether Trump’s order to restrict mail-in voting would affect the plaintiffs, as there hasn’t been a final ruling on it.

“The Court recognizes that the Postal Service may ultimately issue a final rule that directly affects Plaintiffs or their members, or that the Government may develop State Citizenship Lists that omit specific individuals due to particularized flaws,” Nichols wrote. “Plaintiffs may, of course, renew their motions if and when those future actions occur. Until then, however, Plaintiffs cannot show that preliminary injunctive relief is warranted.”

Despite the Democrats and civil rights groups losing their bid to strike down the executive order, legal action remains in Boston. Several civil rights groups in the state have a pending lawsuit over the order, NBC Washington reported.

Details on Trump’s recent executive order about voting

Trump signed the latest executive order on March 31, aiming to tighten federal oversight of elections, especially voter citizenship verification and mail voting procedures. The order directs the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to work together to create “State Citizenship Lists” that would reveal additional information about potential voters.

Those lists would:

  • Identify people confirmed to be U.S. citizens,
  • Include people who are at least 18 years old,
  • Be shared with state election officials before federal elections.

Trump has promoted false claims of widespread election fraud, particularly after losing the 2020 presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden. During his second term, the Department of Justice reviewed those claims but found no evidence of voter fraud. Since then, the administration has shifted its focus to individual cases of alleged noncitizen voting and voter registration violations, some involving only one or two people, according to Blavity and CNN.