Jacob Fishler head shot

Jacob Fischler

[email protected] https://twitter.com/jacob_fischler https://bsky.app/profile/fischler.bsky.social

Jacob covers federal policy and helps direct national coverage as deputy Washington bureau chief for States Newsroom. Based in Oregon, he focuses on Western issues. His coverage areas include climate, energy development, public lands and infrastructure.

Before joining States Newsroom, Jacob was a national reporter for CQ Roll Call, where he covered state policy trends and federal-state relations. He also wrote about transportation and infrastructure policy on Capitol Hill for CQRC. He began his career covering local government for The Monitor newspaper in McAllen, Texas.

Originally from Minneapolis, Jacob has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University.

The U.S. Supreme Court on April 9, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
National

Trump doesn’t have the power to limit mail-in voting, lawmakers tell US Supreme Court

5:27pm ET
Jacob Fischler
The hotly contested U.S. Postal Service rule restricting mail-in voting usurps Congress’ authority, as well as states’ power to administer elections, more than 250 current and former members of Congress said in a filing to the U.S. Supreme Court on...
Election workers sort ballots at Contra Costa County's election operations facility on May 27, 2026 in Martinez, California. (Photo by Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images)
National

Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow Postal Service vote-by-mail rule

Sep 04, 2026
Jacob Fischler
A U.S. Postal Service rule restricting mail-in voting, like the executive order from President Donald Trump that spurred it, is unconstitutional, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani said in a Friday order extending a freeze on the policy. The Trump administration...
he U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom)
National

US Supreme Court again urged to permit Trump vote-by-mail restrictions

Sep 03, 2026
Jacob Fischler
The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to overturn a lower court and allow it to enforce a U.S. Postal Service rule restricting mail-in voting. The trial judge, Indira Talwani of the U.S. District of Massachusetts, prejudged...
A Utah County election worker picks up mailed ballots from the United States Postal Service office on Oct. 26, 2020 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
National

Why the rushed Postal Service plan for mail-in voting has states in a panic

Sep 02, 2026
Jacob Fischler
President Donald Trump’s executive order placing new restrictions on mail-in voting would assign state officials a Herculean task to reach compliance before the crucial midterm elections. The order directed the U.S. Postal Service to strictly regulate the envelope design of...
A U.S. Postal Service whistleblower in a report released Sept. 1, 2026, alleged that USPS rushed the development of electronic tools to comply with a Trump administration policy placing new restrictions on mail-in voting. (Photo by Simone Hogan/Getty Images)
National

USPS whistleblower predicts ‘catastrophic’ effect on elections under Trump vote-by-mail order

Sep 01, 2026
Jacob Fischler
The U.S. Postal Service rushed the development of electronic tools to comply with a Trump administration policy placing new restrictions on mail-in voting, and defied a court order to stop work on the system, according to an explosive whistleblower complaint...
A ballot drop box in Kitsap County, Washington, pictured Aug. 29, 2026. Washington is one of the eight states that conducts elections entirely by mail. (Photo by Jacob Fischler/States Newsroom)
National

Judge calls Trump mail ballot rule 'substantively unconstitutional' as court battle extends

Aug 31, 2026
Jacob Fischler
A Massachusetts federal judge on Monday declined the Trump administration’s request to overturn the temporary restraining order she signed last week that blocks the U.S. Postal Service from carrying out a rule placing new restrictions on mail-in voting. The 14-day...
Mail ballots will go out as normal despite Supreme Court ruling, Colorado election officials say
National

Judge reinstates pause on Trump order limiting mail ballots

Aug 27, 2026
Jacob Fischler
A federal judge froze for two weeks a Trump administration regulation to restrict mail voting late Thursday, calling the U.S. Postal Service rule a violation of states’ power to administer elections. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani’s temporary restraining order reinstated...
A ballot drop box sits outside the library at Virginia Avenue Park in Santa Monica, California on July 14, 2026. (Photo by Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator)
National

New challenges to Trump mail-in voting order arrive after US Supreme Court ruling

Aug 26, 2026
Jacob Fischler
Democrat-led states and voting rights groups re-filed lawsuits Wednesday to block the Trump administration from executing a new regulation to restrict mail-in voting, while a federal judge lifted a nationwide pause on the policy in line with this week’s U.S...
The U.S. Supreme Court on April 9, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
National

Trump administration urges Supreme Court to rule soon on limiting vote-by-mail in midterms

Aug 12, 2026
Jacob Fischler
The Trump administration on Wednesday renewed its request to the U.S. Supreme Court to quickly decide a case over an executive order restricting voting, a day after a Massachusetts federal judge expanded an injunction on the order nationwide. The Tuesday...
Todd Blanche, who was confirmed as attorney general on Aug. 8, 2026, appears at his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill July 15, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Eric Lee/Getty Images)
National

Todd Blanche confirmed by the US Senate as attorney general; Collins, Murkowski vote no

Aug 07, 2026
Jacob Fischler
WASHINGTON — After a lengthy battle over the status of President Donald Trump’s nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, Todd Blanche was confirmed as attorney general by the U.S. Senate early Saturday. Blanche, the acting attorney general, won approval to take...
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said on Aug. 7, 2026, she will oppose the nomination of Todd Blanche as U.S. attorney general. In this photo, she shakes hands with members of the Alaska Legislature on Feb. 15, 2024, following her annual address in the state Capitol. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
National

Blanche nomination for AG in doubt after Alaska’s Murkowski says she’s opposed

Aug 07, 2026
Jacob Fischler
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, said early Friday she will vote against the confirmation of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to permanently lead the Department of Justice. That leaves Trump depending on one Republican senator to...
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is shown on a monitor as Dr. Anthony Fauci, left, testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on July 29, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
National

US Senate panel votes to hold Fauci in contempt for declining to answer COVID questions

Aug 06, 2026
Jacob Fischler
WASHINGTON — Republicans on a U.S. Senate panel voted Thursday to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he declined to answer any questions at a hearing last week about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Senate...