Minnesota joins legal challenge to Trump mail ballot rules
(FOX 9) - Attorney General Keith Ellison has joined a coalition of 25 states challenging a new mail ballot rule put in place by the Trump administration ahead of the midterm election.
Ellison challenges USPS vote-by-mail procedures
What we know:
Ellison announced on Wednesday his office had joined the multi-state challenge seeking to block the Trump admin rule that would regulate mail ballots.
Ellison says the new rules will undermine state mail-in voting programs and potentially leave "eligible voters at risk of being disenfranchised."
Big picture view:
The lawsuit comes as a district court judge in Boston lifted an order blocking Trump's order from going into effect. The decision came days after the Supreme Court issued a separate ruling in another case involving the same judge. In the recent ruling, the judge said she felt she was "compelled" to lift this order due to the Supreme Court's order that involved a similar injunction.
At the same time, the judge admitted the order was likely "unconstitutional" and could cause "chaos" ahead of the November elections.
Trump's mail ballot ruling
The backstory:
President Trump issued an executive order on March 31 that requires states to provide the postal service with a list of eligible voters that can receive ballots and follow a uniform envelope style for ballots.
U.S. Postmaster General David Steiner has threatened the postal service won't deliver mail ballots to states that don't release voter lists.
What they're saying:
Speaking on Wednesday, Ellison said the lawsuit was meant to protect state rights. He says the law is clear: The constitution gives the power to the states to run their elections.
"The United States Constitution devotes time, place and manner, terms to the states," explained Ellison. "It's in there for a reason. It's so that no president can just capture American elections. That way it is a clear usurpation of state sovereignty."
"Congress has some authority to pass laws around elections, but there's nothing in the Constitution that gives that power to the president," added Ellison.
In a statement to Reuters on the Supreme Court ruling, White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said: "These are commonsense measures that protect the security of mail-in ballots and ensure only Americans are electing American leaders. This administration will continue to lawfully enact the agenda President Trump was elected on – which includes the safety and security of our elections,"