Democrats in Maryland suffered a setback Wednesday when a state court invalidated a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at redistricting efforts that could have potentially shifted a congressional seat. Simultaneously, President Trump's executive order concerning mail-in ballots cleared a significant legal obstacle.
A Maryland state court ruled against a referendum that would have allowed Democrats to redraw the state's congressional map, an initiative intended to challenge the sole Republican-held seat, currently occupied by Rep. Andy Harris.
Judge Robert Thompson, appointed by former Gov. Larry Hogan, cited procedural irregularities in the legislative process for submitting the amendment. Thompson found that the legislature did not follow the ordinary procedure for presenting proposed constitutional amendments and that the ballot question itself was "intentionally misleading," which he concluded should disqualify the initiative. The judge initially issued an injunction but placed a stay on the ruling to allow for an appeal to the Maryland Supreme Court.
Democrats currently hold seven of Maryland's eight congressional seats. The redistricting push was part of a broader effort to counter Republican-led map-drawing initiatives in other states.
In a separate development, a federal judge in Boston lifted the final injunction on an executive order from President Trump designed to create a list of eligible voters and direct the Postal Service to deliver ballots only to those individuals. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, issued the ruling.
This decision follows a 6-3 Supreme Court ruling that sided with Trump in a legal challenge brought by California and 22 other states. Trump has asserted that mail-in voting is prone to fraud and has sought to implement measures to tighten its procedures.
The lifting of the injunction on Trump's executive order represents a step forward for his administration's efforts to modify mail-in voting protocols, though further legal challenges may still arise.