NH and the mail-in voting battle

Good morning, New Hampshire, and welcome to Thursday. Today, Ethan DeWitt assesses the mail-in voting battle and what it means for New Hampshire. In the Thursday commentary, a look at what makes the Granite State an outlier — for better or worse. And, from Stateline’s Anna Claire Vollers, Meta agrees to pay up to $17.1 billion in a settlement that will be parceled out among 47 states, including New Hampshire. Thank you for reading, and for supporting our work. — Dana

By Ethan DeWitt

American voters could be forgiven for feeling blindsided this week. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted one of two injunctions against President Donald Trump’s executive order to restrict mail-in ballot use, citing the plaintiffs’ procedural timing errors. On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani of Massachusetts removed the second injunction against that executive order, pointing to the Supreme Court’s Monday decision. With five federal lawsuits against the executive order and a flurry of new arguments and court orders filed in the last several days, the legal situation is fluid, and most observers expect the matter to return to the Supreme Court sometime before the Nov. 3 midterm election. Here is what New Hampshire voters should know about the pending restrictions.

By Anna Claire Vollers

Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, on Wednesday agreed to pay 47 states, the District of Columbia, and a handful of U.S. territories, up to $17.1 billion in penalties over claims that its social media platforms are addictive and a danger to children.