The Supreme Court handed President Trump a temporary victory on Monday by pausing a lower court ruling that had blocked significant portions of his executive order aimed at restricting mail-in voting. The conservative-led high court stepped in to lift an injunction that had protected 23 primarily Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C., allowing the administration to move forward with its directives for the moment. However, the justices were careful to note that this procedural win does not necessarily mean the order itself is legal, leaving the ultimate constitutionality of the measures undecided.

Despite the ruling, substantial obstacles remain as the midterm elections approach. While the Supreme Court addressed one specific challenge, a separate nationwide ruling from a Boston district judge still prevents the U.S. Postal Service from implementing the president’s mandates. This creates a fragmented legal landscape where different rulings apply across various jurisdictions, leading to what Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson described in her dissent as unnecessary chaos and uncertainty during a critical election cycle.

At the heart of the dispute is an order requiring the Department of Homeland Security to create citizen lists and mandating that the Postal Service deliver ballots only to verified individuals on those lists. Trump argues these steps are essential to prevent non-citizens from voting, although critics and previous court findings suggest such fraud is incredibly rare and that the president lacks the constitutional authority to override state-run election processes.

Time is now becoming as much of an enemy as the courtroom battles themselves. With voting beginning in some states in just a few weeks, government attorneys have already admitted there may not be enough time to fully implement these complex rules before November. As New York Attorney General Letitia James signaled that Democratic states are already exploring further legal options, both sides find themselves racing against a calendar that may render this entire legal struggle moot until future election cycles.