US Supreme Court denies Trump bid to restrict mail-in ballots

The US Supreme Court has denied President Donald Trump's attempt to restrict mail-in voting ahead of the November midterm elections.

Trump had requested that the top court lift a lower court's order which blocked his bid to restrict the mail-in voting.

In a concurring opinion with the majority, conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh said that while the Republican president's plan might ultimately prove legal, "state and local election officials do not have sufficient time to reasonably implement the rule before the elections."

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas publicly dissented from the brief order.

The Supreme Court's decision means states are allowed to continue sending out mail ballots under the same processes they have used for years.

The case has major implications because nearly one-third of the country votes by mail.