Washington DC - A federal appeals court recently slapped down President Donald Trump's efforts to enforce new mail-in voting rules.

According to Fox News, the First US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a 2-1 decision to deny a request from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to pause a previous ruling blocking several provisions of an executive order the president signed in March.

The order directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to put together lists of US citizens that are eligible to vote in each state, and the DOJ to prioritize investigations into state and local election officials who provide ballots for anyone not on the lists.

The court's ruling comes in response to a lawsuit filed by the 23 states targeted by the order, all of which are led by Democrats.

Donald Trump Trump admin. admits to pulling funds from states for one simple reason

The states argue in the suit that the president exceeded his authority with the order, asserting that the Constitution gives states the power to administer federal elections without federal oversight or intervention.

In June, a judge agreed with the plaintiffs and blocked federal agencies from implementing the new changes until November 3.

For years, Trump has pushed unfounded claims that US elections are rampant with fraud, and that the 2020 election was "stolen" from him.

In recent weeks, he has reignited the claims ahead of the midterms, insisting that drastic measures must be implemented to ensure that the elections are "fair" and to his liking.

Trump has been adamantly demanding the passage of his SAVE America Act, which would impose strict new voting limits, including requiring proof of citizenship when registering or casting a ballot, and significantly restrict mail-in voting.