Pritzker praises Supreme Court for rejecting Trump's mail-in ballot restrictions ahead of midterms

CHICAGO (WLS) -- With the midterms just seven weeks away, the Supreme Court dealt a blow to President Trump, blocking attempts to limit mail-in voting.

"Elections will proceed as they always would have," ABC7 Legal Analyst Gil Soffer said.

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The president's plan had required states to adopt a uniform envelope style and submit lists of eligible voters to a portal run by the Postal Service. Now, the new rules are frozen.

"The Supreme Court says we're not going to interfere; we're going to let the process proceed as it will without the new rules in effect," Soffer said.

It clears the way for states to send mail-in ballots ahead of the midterms.

"What we want is everybody that's eligible - Republican, Democrat, or Independent - to be able to go vote," Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker told Eyewitness News on Tuesday.

He vowed to continue pushing back against Trump.

SEE ALSO | Trump slams the Supreme Court for rejecting his push to restrict mail ballots

"Donald Trump wants to stand in the way of you exercising your right as a citizen in Illinois. We're trying to make it so that you can exercise that right," Pritzker said.

Trump blasted the high court's decision, saying it's a big loss for Republicans and criticizing the justices themselves.

"These are not the people I interviewed to serve on the United States Supreme Court," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "They are merely a shell of their original selves."

With vote-by-mail ballots just days away from arriving in mailboxes, Tuesday marks National Voter Registration Day.

Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon appeared with rap artist Che "Rhymefest" Smith in a new video targeted toward young voters.

"I think this is an attempt to get the word out as early as possible to encourage younger people to vote," ABC7 Political Analyst Laura Washington said.

Washington said participation in midterm elections is historically low and usually brings out party loyalists.

"The casual voters often stay at home, so there are going to be a lot of attempts to get people energized beyond the usual suspects, and get them out to vote on both sides of the aisle," Washington said.

Washington also said the debate surrounding vote-by-mail ballots is not over and predicted it will pick up again for the presidential election.