Gov blasts 'terrible' mail voting decision

Good morning!

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday issued a decision on mail-in ballots that has Democrats nationwide a little panicky.

The court’s conservative majority lifted an injunction issued by a federal judge in Massachusetts that had paused President Donald Trump’s executive order regulating mail-in ballots nationwide, with the justices saying Trump is likely to prevail on his argument that 23 Dem-led states don’t have standing to stop it.

The decision is preliminary, there’s still a separate injunction in place, and the justices did not decide on the substance of the challenge to Trump’s order. But it’s a big initial win for Trump in his push to revamp how we vote, one the liberal dissent says “contributes to pre-election chaos.”

Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) called it a “terrible” decision.

“States run elections, not Donald Trump. I will do everything I can to protect New Jerseyans’ right to vote – by mail and in person,” she said.

More: Sherrill is still dealing with the fallout of her announcement last month that New Jersey registered noncitizens to vote. She and House GOP members are engaged in a war of words over the debacle, with Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R) accusing her Monday of lobbing personal attacks at Republicans who say they are investigating the issue. “This was never about Governor Sherrill or any one political party. It is about New Jersey and the integrity of our country’s elections. Our mutual constituents deserve fair and secure elections, and they deserve the truth about how something this serious was allowed to happen,” Van Drew said in a statement from his office. Sherrill has said House Republicans have zeroed in on New Jersey for political issues, and noted that a bunch of them who are calling for a probe in New Jersey also wanted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential race.

Health: New Jersey, like much of the nation, is dealing with a blood shortage right now, one that led a supplier of blood donations for the region declare an unprecedented second blood emergency this summer. State Health Commissioner Dr. Raynard Washington plans to give blood today in Freehold in hopes of encouraging others to do the same. “Donated blood is an essential part of healthcare New Jerseyans rely on, used for everything from routine surgeries and cancer treatments to trauma care. But blood and platelets can’t be manufactured — they come from generous donors who step up to help,” Washington said.

Environment: The Trump administration’s launch of a sweeping review of longstanding wilderness management policies has conservationists nervous about what that means for acres of unspoiled nature here in New Jersey and beyond. Even here in the nation’s most densely populated state, we have five national wildlife refuges covering 80,358 acres, including Great Swamp, Forsythe, and Cape May National Wildlife Refuge. “Many of these places took a really long time to protect in the first place. It is up to us to ensure that they remain protected — by really making our voices loud, by looking to encourage Congress to put fund limitations on these actions, by building the public record for future litigation,” Jackie Feinberg, the Sierra Club’s national lands conservation campaign manager, told Dana DiFilippo.

9/11: Weeks after a group of family members of 9/11 victims criticized the state for the condition of the New Jersey 9/11 memorial, a $40,000 donation to deep clean it has been pledged by the foundation of actor Gary Sinise, via Steve Strunsky at NJ Advance Media.