Trump Took His Mail Ballot Verification Order to the Supreme Court, and Biden’s DEI Appointment Blocked It
The Trump administration is out of patience with rogue federal judges blocking common-sense election integrity measures, and on Monday it went straight to the Supreme Court to demand the mess get sorted out.
The executive order at issue is straightforward: before the Postal Service mails out federal ballots, states must verify their voter rolls against DHS and Social Security Administration data to confirm the recipients are actual American citizens. Mail-in ballots go out in secure, tracked envelopes with barcodes. States that refuse to comply lose federal election funding.
None of this is complicated. None of it is controversial to anyone who believes elections should be decided by eligible American voters rather than whoever happens to receive a ballot in the mail. And yet nearly two dozen states and Washington D.C. sued the moment the order was signed, calling it “voter suppression” — which is what Democrats call any measure that makes it harder for ineligible people to vote.
The legal journey has been predictably chaotic. A Massachusetts federal judge blocked the order. Then stayed his own block. Then re-blocked it after an appeals court split 2-1, with both Biden and George W. Bush appointees siding against the measure and the Trump-appointed judge voting to allow it to proceed. The result is an executive order sitting in legal limbo while the November midterms approach and states continue mailing ballots without any citizenship verification whatsoever.
Enter the Supreme Court. The administration filed an emergency application Sunday asking for the order to be cleared immediately.
The first response came from Ketanji Brown Jackson — who, as the circuit justice covering the First Circuit, received the application first. She declined to grant an immediate stay. Instead she gave plaintiff states seven days to respond.
Seven days. With 100 days until the midterms and state ballot operations moving forward without verification, every day of delay is a day the executive order can’t do the job it was designed to do.
The media’s talking point — dutifully echoed in the Washington Post’s coverage — is that Trump’s claims of widespread voting irregularities lack evidence. New Jersey just found 6,600 noncitizens registered to vote, with nearly 400 who actually cast ballots. The Trump administration has identified 270,000 noncitizen registrations across just four states that cooperated with federal data requests. Alaska, to its credit, is already mailing verification letters to suspicious registrations — and found approximately 3,000 in need of review. The “no evidence” claim died the moment Mikie Sherrill held that press conference.
The full Supreme Court will now see the emergency application. Six justices were appointed by Republican presidents. The constitutional authority of the executive branch to direct how USPS handles federal election mail is well-grounded in law.
The administration went to the right place. The answer had better arrive before the ballots do.
BREAKING: Dolly Parton’s Cause Of Death Revealed: ‘Brief Battle’
Dolly Parton’s death came after a brief battle with cancer, her representatives revealed Tuesday.
The country music legend died Aug. 25 at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. She was 80.
Parton had been admitted to the cancer center Friday, four days before her death. Her representatives confirmed the cancer diagnosis in a statement to PEOPLE but did not disclose what type she had.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” the statement read.
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact. After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement concluded.
The “Jolene” singer had also been dealing with kidney and autoimmune issues before her death, PEOPLE previously reported.
Just days earlier, Dolly Parton opened up about her declining health and acknowledged that she had put off addressing some medical issues while caring for her husband, Carl.
“As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over [my husband] Carl. You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” Parton told PEOPLE.
Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in an Instagram video Tuesday on behalf of the Parton and Owens family.
“My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” he says in the video.
Seaver, who served as Parton’s head of security for more than two decades, said she had asked him years earlier to deliver the announcement.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” he continued. “As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”
Seaver said the moment brought immense pride and heartbreak, but he took comfort in his faith that Parton had been reunited with Carl and other loved ones.
Seaver added: “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless othe
Shocking 'truth' behind Prince Harry's decision to quit major role
Prince Harry should have "resigned in disgrace" from the board of a controversial African wildlife charity, a commentator says. James Walker makes the bombshell remark in Wednesday's episode of this publication's podcast, Daily Expresso.
He and the show's host, JJ Anisiobi, delve into the Duke of Sussex's dramatic decision to step down from African Parks. James, commenting on the controversy, said: "When you hear about this stuff and how long it's been going on for, you should be resigning in disgrace. [Harry] should be saying: 'I'm not touching that with a barge pole. That is a failed entity. We're going nowhere near it'.
"But no. He's still saying he's going to 'support their mission'. And again this Caroline Pearce, executive director of Survival International, goes on to say: 'His departure doesn't undo that record'.
"She alleged that African Parks was aware of the abuses for years, but it was only after Survival complained to Harry that the charity finally commissioned an investigation."
James added: "Well, she's got a point."
It emerged on Monday (August 24) that Harry was no longer a board member of the wildlife charity.
The conservation organisation has admitted that human rights abuses were committed by its rangers against members of the semi-nomadic Baka group in Congo-Brazzaville.
African Parks has said since that it has improved its safeguarding processes both in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park and institutionally.
Its admission followed an independent human rights investigation into allegations guards managed and paid by the charity had beaten, raped and tortured indigenous people in Odzala-Kokoua National Park.
Harry was president of the charity for six years before he became a member of its board of directors in 2023.
A spokesman for the Duke said he remains an active and avid supporter of African Parks. He added: "The Duke is proud of his 10 years with African Parks and fully supports the ongoing strengthening of its board.
"His commitment to conservation in Africa continues and he remains a supporter of African Parks’ mission."
Human rights organisation, Survival International, said it had been calling on Harry to step down from African Parks for years.
The group's director, Caroline Pearce, said in a statement: "It’s outrageous that for 10 years Prince Harry has served African Parks while the organisation has been responsible for abuse and violence against Indigenous people.
"His departure doesn't undo that record — African Parks itself must now be held accountable, and must abandon this model of fortress conservation for good."
Survival International said indigenous peoples know how best to manage their land and the idea outsiders know better is racist and colonial.
