Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced on March 31 that he joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general and the Governor of Pennsylvania in filing a lawsuit against President Trump in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The suit challenges an Executive Order signed by President Trump, which the coalition alleges unlawfully interferes with states’ constitutional authority to administer elections by restricting voter eligibility and mail voting to lists pre-authorized by the federal government.
“Today’s legal action underscores the fundamental principle that states, not the federal government, are responsible for administering elections,” Attorney General Raúl Torrez said. “The Executive Order threatens to undermine long‑standing constitutional safeguards by imposing federally dictated voter eligibility rules and restricting access to mail-in voting. This lawsuit seeks to protect the rights of eligible voters and ensure that elections remain free from unlawful federal overreach. This challenge also makes clear that efforts to erode state authority over elections will be met with decisive action to protect the integrity of our democratic system,” according to Torrez.
The Executive Order, signed on March 31, directs the U.S. Postal Service to transmit mail ballots only to those on a national list of eligible voters compiled by the federal government. It also threatens states and election officials with criminal prosecution and loss of federal funding if they do not comply. The attorneys general argue that this order would force states to disregard their own procedures for maintaining voter rolls, vote-by-mail systems, and registration laws.
According to the official website, the New Mexico Attorney General serves as chief legal officer for New Mexico, provides services across all counties in the state, fosters trust through community outreach initiatives, coordinates with local law enforcement agencies for public safety efforts, seeks to protect consumers and uphold rule of law, and advances justice through civil litigation and criminal prosecutions.
The coalition’s lawsuit asserts that both state and federal law entitle all eligible voters to cast ballots in state and federal elections if they meet their state’s requirements—including voting by mail—and argues that rapid changes required by the Executive Order could create confusion ahead of upcoming primaries and before mail voting begins for the 2026 general election. The attorneys general ask the court to prevent implementation or enforcement of this order.
Joining Attorney General Torrez are attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington State Wisconsin as well as Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania. More details can be found in the organization’s press release.
