A federal judge in Massachusetts seemed skeptical of President Donald Trump\u2019s executive order attacking mail-in voting, which, if allowed to stand, could have enormous consequences on the midterm elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, expressed concern during a hearing Tuesday that the order poses a serious risk of unconstitutionally disenfranchising eligible voters, according to reporting<\/a> by Reuters.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The order, signed<\/a> by Trump in March, tasks the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration with creating a nationwide voter eligibility list \u2014 and then directs the U.S. Postal Service to restrict the delivery of mail-in ballots based on that list. Voting rights advocates and legal experts universally agreed that such a decree is unconstitutional, as states \u2014 not the executive branch \u2014 hold the power to administer elections.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The order was met with a barrage of lawsuits, including the one Talwani heard Tuesday, filed<\/a> by attorneys general from 22 states and Washington, D.C., as well as a coalition of pro-voting groups, seeking to block the order.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n Join 350,000 readers who rely on our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest in voting, elections and democracy.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tGet updates straight to your inbox \u2014 for free\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t