NASHVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson, a Trump administration appointee who bucked the president's conservative base by blocking a Tennessee law that restricts mail-in voting, had an announcement to make before wrapping up his decision: it had nothing to do with politics.The declaration dropped as lower-court judges, like Richardson, face greater scrutiny over their perceived ideological purity.
Richardson even took the step of addressing potential critics in his opinion.Richardson ruled in favor of expanding the ability of first-time voters in this reliably Republican-leaning state to cast mail-in ballots this election.