US judge halts Trump executive order to create federal voter list

A federal judge in the US has blocked President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at overhauling US election procedures, marking the fourth time a court has halted the measure.

Trump signed the order in March, seeking to reshape aspects of the federal election system, including creating a federal voter list based on available citizenship data.

US District Judge Indira Talwani ruled on Thursday that authority over election administration rests with states and said the challenged provisions exceeded presidential authority and violated the constitutional separation of powers.

“The President ‘plays no direct role in the process’ of appointing electors, ‘nor does he have authority to control the state officials who do’,” Talwani wrote.

The executive order also directed the US Postal Service (USPS) to deliver mail-in ballots only to voters appearing on federally approved state voter rolls and to distribute ballots with individualized tracking barcodes.

Talwani ordered the administration to halt implementation of the order and take steps to reverse any actions already taken before the Nov. 3, 2026 federal election or any earlier federal contest.