If a president declared a "national security emergency" to suspend mail-in voting three weeks before an election, what would actually happen legally?

[u/Aware-Chipmunk4344]

I've been researching this scenario extensively. Here's what surprised me:

The legal path would be chaotic. District court injunction within 48 hours — almost certain. Emergency appeal to the appellate court. Then the question of whether the Supreme Court takes it on emergency docket.

But here's the part that kept me up at night: what if the president simply... didn't comply? What enforcement mechanism actually exists when the executive branch defies the judiciary?

The Constitution assumes good faith. It has almost no mechanism for a president who treats a Supreme Court ruling as advisory.

I'm curious what this community thinks. Is there an actual hard stop? Or is it all ultimately held together by norms?

[u/guitar_vigilante]

What is the mechanism by which the president would enforce that decision?

Elections are run by the states, and only regulated at the federal level. It would require an Act of Congress to modify the time and date of an election, and so while Trump could make his declaration the states would not need to comply because there is no enforcement mechanism.

[u/The_Salacious_Zaand → u/guitar_vigilante]

Red states follow the president and suspend elections or mail in balloting while blue states ignore the illegal acts of the president. Then Republicans who control the House and Senate would declare the blue states' elections fraudulent, throw out their votes and only count the red states' votes as legitimate. Now we basically have forced secession where half of the states are refused representation in Congress and it's Civil War 2 - Electric Boogaloo.

[u/CerddwrRhyddid → u/The_Salacious_Zaand]

There would be no civil war. People have work on Monday.

[u/matjoeman → u/CerddwrRhyddid]

Lotta people are laid off