Supreme Court hands Trump a loss on mail ballot deadlines. Is a bigger win for him coming?

Key Points:

• The Supreme Court ruled that more than a dozen states can keep their post-election grace periods for mail ballots, rejecting GOP claims that federal law prohibits counting ballots arriving after Election Day, marking a setback for President Trump and Republicans before the midterms.
• Despite this loss, the Court is considering a separate case, RNC v. Mi Familia Vota, which could allow states to require proof of citizenship for voting and conduct mass voter purges of suspected noncitizens before elections, aligning with Trump's agenda to tighten voter rules.
• Earlier this year, the Court delivered a major victory for Republicans by weakening the Voting Rights Act, making it harder for minority voters to challenge racial gerrymandering and enabling states to redraw maps that reduce minority representation ahead of future elections.
• The Court’s majority emphasized federalism and states’ rights in upholding mail ballot grace periods, with conservative and liberal justices aligning, while dissenters warned such policies increase election fraud risks; meanwhile, the Court also declined to review a Texas law penalizing ballot assistance.
• Trump continues to push for federal election restrictions through stalled legislation like the SAVE America Act, but the Court’s pending decisions on voter purges and citizenship verification laws could effectively enable states to implement similar measures independently by 2028.