Published on Thursday, June 25, 2026
Attorney General Peter F. Neronha and a coalition of 24 states today secured a victory from the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, blocking President Trump’s unlawful Executive Order that attempted to interfere with states’ constitutional authority to administer elections. The final ruling follows a multistate lawsuit that challenged the Administration’s attempt to restrict voting to individuals on lists pre-authorized by the federal government and voting-by-mail to lists maintained by the U.S. Postal Service.
Yesterday, Attorney General Neronha and a coalition of 18 attorneys general won a permanent injunction in a separate elections-related case.
“For the second time in as many days, the courts have held that the Trump Administration’s attempts to restrict and intimidate voters and election officials are unlawful,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Here, not only did this Administration attempt to violate the states’ authority to administer elections, but they also threatened to withhold congressionally approved funding for non-compliance and to prosecute local election officials for doing their job. In what has become a well-worn pattern, this President continues to ignore the Constitution time and time again in pursuit of more authority than he is allowed. And so long as he does, we will continue to fight against his Administration’s unlawful overreach.”
On March 31, 2026, President Trump signed an Executive Order purporting to develop lists of eligible voters in each state and directing the U.S. Postal Service, an independent federal agency, to develop its own such list and transmit mail ballots only to those on the list. The Executive Order also threatened states and elections officials with criminal prosecution and the loss of federal funding if they do not comply with his demands. In their lawsuit challenging the unlawful Executive Order, the Attorneys General argued that the Order would require states to act contrary to their own election laws, voter roll procedures, and vote-by-mail systems.
The court’s decision declares the challenged sections of the Executive Order to be unconstitutional and beyond the President’s authority, and enjoins the Defendants from implementing them with respect to the November 3, 2026, election—and any earlier federal election in the Plaintiff States. The coalition will submit a proposed judgment to the court within the next seven days.
Joining Attorney General Neronha in filing this lawsuit were the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, as well as the Governor of Pennsylvania.
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