logo
Judge limits a small part of a court order blocking Trump's election overhaul as lawsuits continue

Judge limits a small part of a court order blocking Trump's election overhaul as lawsuits continue

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Friday modified part of a previous ruling that blocked much of President Donald Trump's sweeping executive order seeking to overhaul elections in the U.S.
The minor change affects just one aspect of a preliminary injunction that U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper granted on June 13 in a case filed by Democratic state attorneys general. The judge said Friday that the part of Trump's order directing certain federal agencies to assess people's U.S. citizenship when they ask for voter registration forms will now only be blocked in the 19 states that filed the lawsuit.
Election law experts said the modification will have little, if any, practical effect because a judge in a different lawsuit filed against the executive order also blocked the federal agencies from obeying the mandate in all 50 states.
'If there are two partially overlapping orders, the effect of changing one of them would not change what is binding in the other,' said Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Friday's order follows a U.S. Supreme Court decision in an unrelated case that judges are limited in granting nationwide injunctions. Government lawyers pointed to that ruling in arguing the court needed to 'narrow the scope' of the injunction in the elections case. The 19 Democratic attorneys general who filed the case told the judge they wouldn't object to the narrower scope.
The rest of Casper's initial preliminary injunction against other aspects of the election executive order remains intact.
In June, the judge blocked various parts of Trump's sweeping order, including a documentary proof-of-citizenship requirement on the federal voting form and a requirement that mailed ballots be received, rather than just postmarked, by Election Day.
The government continues to fight the attorney generals' lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Boston, and has a motion to dismiss it. The Department of Justice on Friday did not reply to multiple requests for comment.
The development comes as other lawsuits challenging Trump's executive order on elections continue to play out. That includes the one with the other preliminary injunction, filed by Democrats and civil rights groups. It also includes another from Washington and Oregon, where voting is done almost entirely by mail ballot.
___
Cassidy reported from Atlanta.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

State of play in Trump's tariffs, threats and delays
State of play in Trump's tariffs, threats and delays

Yahoo

time20 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

State of play in Trump's tariffs, threats and delays

Dozens of economies including India, Canada and Mexico face threats of higher tariffs Friday if they fail to strike deals with Washington. Here is a summary of duties President Donald Trump has introduced in his second term as he pressures allies and competitors alike to reshape US trade relationships. - Global tariffs - US "reciprocal" tariffs -- imposed under legally contentious emergency powers -- are due to jump from 10 percent to various steeper levels for a list of dozens of economies come August 1, including South Korea, India and Taiwan. The hikes were to take effect July 9 but Trump postponed them days before imposition, marking a second delay since their shock unveiling in April. A 10 percent "baseline" levy on most partners, which Trump imposed in April, remains in place. He has also issued letters dictating tariff rates above 10 percent for individual countries, including Brazil, which has a trade deficit with the United States and was not on the initial list of higher "reciprocal" rates. Several economies -- the European Union, Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines -- have struck initial tariff deals with Washington, while China managed to temporarily lower tit-for-tat duties. Certain products like pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and lumber are excluded from Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs, but may face separate action under different authorities. This has been the case for steel, aluminum, and soon copper. Gold and silver, alongside energy commodities, are also exempted. Excluded too are Mexico and Canada, hit with a different set of tariffs, and countries like Russia and North Korea as they already face sanctions. - Canada, Mexico - Canadian and Mexican products were hit by 25 percent US tariffs shortly after Trump returned to office, with a lower rate for Canadian energy. Trump targeted both neighbors over illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking, also invoking emergency powers. But trade negotiations have been bumpy. This month, Trump said Canadian goods will face a higher 35 percent duty from August 1, and Mexican goods will see a 30 percent level. Products entering the United States under the USMCA North American free trade pact, covering large swaths of goods, are expected to remain exempt -- with Canadian energy resources and potash, used as fertilizer, to still face lower rates. - China focus - Trump has also taken special aim at China. The world's two biggest economies engaged in an escalating tariffs war this year before their temporary pullback. The countries imposed triple-digit duties on each other at one point, a level described as a trade embargo. After high level talks, Washington lowered its levies on Chinese goods to 30 percent and Beijing slashed its own to 10 percent. This pause is set to expire August 12, and officials will meet for further talks on Monday and Tuesday in the Swedish capital Stockholm. The US level is higher as it includes a 20 percent tariff over China's alleged role in the global fentanyl trade. Beyond expansive tariffs on Chinese products, Trump ordered the closure of a duty-free exemption for low-value parcels from the country. This adds to the cost of importing items like clothing and small electronics. - Autos, metals - Trump has targeted individual business sectors too, under more conventional national security grounds, imposing a 25 percent levy on steel and aluminum imports which he later doubled to 50 percent. The president has unveiled plans for a 50 percent tariff on copper imports starting August 1 as well and rolled out a 25 percent tariff on imported autos, although those entering under the USMCA can qualify for a lower rate. Trump's auto tariffs impact vehicle parts too, but new rules ensure automakers paying vehicle tariffs will not also be charged for certain other duties. He has ongoing investigations into imports of lumber, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and critical minerals that could trigger further duties. - Legal challenges - Several legal challenges have been filed against the tariffs Trump invoked citing emergencies. The US Court of International Trade ruled in May that the president had overstepped his authority, but a federal appeals court has allowed the duties to remain while it considers the case. If these tariffs are ultimately ruled illegal, companies could possibly seek reimbursements. bys/des/mlm Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Secret Service thwarts potential threat near Trump's White House grounds with rapid response
Secret Service thwarts potential threat near Trump's White House grounds with rapid response

Fox News

time22 minutes ago

  • Fox News

Secret Service thwarts potential threat near Trump's White House grounds with rapid response

The U.S. Secret Service confirmed Sunday evening that a person is in custody following reports that a suspicious package was found near the White House. "At approximately 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 27, 2025, U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division officers immediately apprehend [sic] an individual who climbed a fence on the southeast side of the U.S. Treasury Building," the federal law enforcement agency told Fox News. The suspect allegedly dropped a bag on the sidewalk adjacent to the fence line of the building, which is located adjacent to the White House. That prompted a response from the Metropolitan Police Department's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team, who cleared the item. The suspect was transported to a local hospital for a medical evaluation, and will face charges for unlawful entry, as well as fugitive from justice stemming from a warrant in a different jurisdiction. Twice during his 2024 campaign for the nation's highest office, President Donald Trump was the subject of assassination attempts. July 13 marked one year since a lone gunman on a rooftop at the Butler Farm Show Grounds in Pennsylvania fired eight rounds at the president while he hosted a campaign rally. Trump was shot in the ear before his Secret Service detail dove atop him and pulled him to the ground. The gunman was killed by authorities at the scene. Trump emerged with blood dripping down his cheek, and in an iconic moment, raised his fist and chanted, "Fight, fight, fight" while his security detail attempted to whisk him away to safety. Corey Camperatore, a local former fire chief who was attending the rally, was shot and killed while valiantly shielding his family from the volley of gunfire. Just three months later, the Secret Service spotted the barrel of a rifle poking through the bushes while Trump played golf at his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The suspect in that alleged attempt on Trump's life, Ryan Routh, 59, ran away when spotted, only to be taken into custody a short time later. He was charged with assaulting a federal officer and multiple firearms violations, along with the attempted assassination. He is scheduled to represent himself at his upcoming trial.

Ghislaine Maxwell's brother thanks Donald Trump for his ‘positive statement' about his sister in 2020
Ghislaine Maxwell's brother thanks Donald Trump for his ‘positive statement' about his sister in 2020

Yahoo

time37 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Ghislaine Maxwell's brother thanks Donald Trump for his ‘positive statement' about his sister in 2020

Ian Maxwell, the brother of jailed Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, has thanked President Donald Trump for making a 'positive statement' about his sister in 2020 and showing her 'humanity.' Appearing on Piers Morgan Uncensored on Tuesday to discuss the revived furore over Epstein after Trump's Justice Department said that no 'client list' belonging to the late billionaire pedophile existed, Ian Maxwell once more defended Ghislaine, who was jailed in 2022 for her role in the disgraced financier's sex trafficking operation. Asked by Morgan whether she had 'pulled the wool over your eyes' regarding her involvement in Epstein's crimes, Maxwell responded: 'No, I believe my sister. 'I've known her [for] 60 years, Piers. You know, I'm not going to suddenly say she started pulling the wool. I don't think so. I don't believe so. Not for a second.' Pivoting to Trump, Maxwell said: 'President Trump was asked the only time, I believe, in public – at the tail end of his presidency, so, you know, November, December 2021 [sic] – about Ghislaine and he said, 'You know, I don't know much about it, but I wish her well.' 'And I don't think that anyone else showed the slightest piece of humanity, not anybody at that time, and yet he did. He didn't need to. He's the president of the United States, the most powerful man in the world. He could've just sloughed it off. He didn't. He made a positive statement. I am very grateful to that and I know Ghislaine was too.' The comment Maxwell referred to was actually made by Trump in July 2020 when Ghislaine was arrested and charged with sex trafficking. 'I haven't really been following it too much,' the president said at the time. 'I just wish her well, frankly. I've met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach. And I guess they lived in Palm Beach. But I wish her well.' Asked about it a month later by then-Axios reporter Jonathan Swan, Trump doubled down and said: 'I wish her well, I'd wish you well, I'd wish a lot of people well. Good luck. Let them prove somebody was guilty. 'Her boyfriend died in jail and people are still trying to figure out how did it happen? Was it suicide? Was he killed? And I do wish her well. I'm not looking for anything bad for her. I'm not looking bad for anybody.' The president remains under pressure to explain his past friendship with Epstein after the Justice Department's attempt to draw a line under the case sparked an angry backlash from his own supporters, with many pointing to Attorney General Pam Bondi's declaration earlier this year that his case file was 'sitting on my desk waiting to be reviewed' as suggesting its release was imminent. Archive photos and video indicate that Trump and Epstein knew each other socially in New York and Florida from the 1980s to the early 2000s, and the president is on record as praising the abuser as a 'terrific guy.' However, he has since distanced himself and is currently suing The Wall Street Journal for alleging that he once sent him a lewd hand-drawn birthday card. The president has tried hard to change the narrative over the last two weeks, attacking numerous old foes on social media in scattergun fashion, rebuking his own 'past' supporters for dwelling on the subject, and complaining to the press at a recent cabinet meeting: 'Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy's been talked about for years. Are people still talking about this guy, this creep?' Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced on Tuesday that, at the direction of AG Bondi, he had contacted Ghislaine's legal counsel about arranging an interview with her and declared: 'No one is above the law – and no lead is off-limits.' Trump signaled his approval of that step in the Oval Office shortly afterwards, saying it 'sounded appropriate.' Meanwhile, a panel of judges has ruled that more information is needed before they can rule on the release of grand jury testimony related to Epstein, and House Speaker Mike Johnson has declined to hold a House vote on whether to order the release of all federal files on him until after Congress's summer recess. Solve the daily Crossword

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store