By Nate Raymond
BOSTON, June 18 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Boston on Thursday limited lawsuits challenging U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order on mail-in voting, ruling that Democratic-led states and voting rights groups can only seek to block the order's effect on November's elections.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani wrote that the potential impact of Trump's order on the midterm elections and primaries scheduled before then meant parts of the plaintiffs' case could not wait to be heard.
"Postponing judicial review is impracticable and may inflict significant hardship on Plaintiffs," she said.
But she said many uncertainties exist as to how agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Postal Service, will implement Trump's order and what, if any, final rules and policies they adopt.
She said those uncertainties justified dismissing for now the plaintiffs' challenge to Trump's order as it affects elections after the November 3 midterms.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump, a Republican, signed the order on March 31 after calling for years for tighter rules on voting by mail and pushing the false claim that his 2020 election defeat was the result of widespread voter fraud. Under the U.S. Constitution, states are assigned the role of administering federal elections.
His order directs the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to compile and transmit to the states a list of confirmed U.S. citizens eligible to vote in each state, derived from citizenship and naturalization records and other federal databases.
Trump's order also requires the U.S. Postal Service to only deliver ballots to voters on each state's approved mail-in ballot list. USPS recently moved to implement Trump's directive by issuing proposed rules requiring states to provide the names and barcodes tied to their mail-in ballots.
The order also directs the U.S. Department of Justice to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of state and local election officials who issue federal ballots to people deemed “not eligible” to vote.
Voting rights groups sued the administration along with 23 states and the District of Columbia, arguing Trump's order is unconstitutional and that he lacks any legal authority to assert presidential power over election administration.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Nia Williams, Rod Nickel)
