U.S. Supreme Court stays New Hampshire election injunctions

On October 22, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed two district-court orders granting preliminary relief in Scanlan v. Coalition for Open Democracy, citing its rule against late changes to election procedures. The stay remains in place through the First Circuit appeal and any timely certiorari petition, so it is procedural rather than a final merits decision. For clients exposed to election-dependent policy or litigation risk, the order underscores that operative rules can be shaped by emergency appellate process close to voting, not only by final judgments. Law firms should distinguish temporary election administration outcomes from durable constitutional holdings when advising on political-risk scenarios.