Federal Judge Thomas Schroeder denied a preliminary injunction on Monday, Oct. 19, in a 72-page opinion, writing that the election isn't "merely upcoming; it has already started."
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Schroeder's opinion runs 72 pages.
The page count comes from the capture of The Hill's story, but the story's wording does not assign it to The Hill. The opinion PDF is listed in SOURCES, but no other source restates the length.
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The judge refused to block the rules because voting has already started.
Carolina Journal and the opinion describe timing as an independent ground, but the opinion also contains a claim-specific preliminary merits analysis. Presenting timing as the sole reason is the desk's simplification in the headline. The judge's quote supports timing as a reason, not as the only one
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The state elections board passed the rules in September on a 3-2 party-line vote, with 3 Republicans against 2 Democrats.
The September 2026 board meeting memos and the Washington Examiner, which reports the ruling as siding with Republicans, support a September adoption and a GOP-majority board. However, no listed source explicitly documents the vote count or a party-line split.