WATCH: House Democratic leaders hold hearing on fair elections and voting rights

By — News Desk News Desk By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-house-democratic-leaders-hold-hearing-on-fair-elections-and-voting-rights Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH: House Democratic leaders hold hearing on fair elections and voting rights Politics Jun 25, 2026 5:49 PM EDT House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democratic lawmakers held a hearing Thursday on defending fair elections and voting rights. Watch the hearing in the video player above. The hearing came on the same day a federal judge halted President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to create a federal voter list. The executive order also sought to limit who can receive a mail ballot. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani, who was nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama, sided with a coalition of nearly two dozen states that challenged the Republican president's order in granting a summary judgment. Her ruling applies to this year's midterm election cycle. WATCH: How the Trump administration is trying to reshape how elections are run Plaintiffs argued in two lawsuits, both filed in federal court in Boston, that Trump's order should be found unconstitutional because the states and Congress, not the president, have the power to set election rules. The judge agreed, noting in her ruling that the provisions of Trump's order "unconstitutionally violate the separation of powers." A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now