On Friday, Ohio Justice James Gwin issued a restraining order against the Donald Trump campaign and several of its PACs to prevent what the Ohio Democratic Party saw as voter intimidation, based on comments the candidate has made asking self-appointed poll watchers to stop minority groups from "stealing" the election. Trump's campaign immediately appealed, viewing the order as unconstitutional. On Sunday, what had been seen as a blow against Trump and as a precedent in other lawsuits was overturned.

A panel on the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Gwin's order, writing that the Ohio Democratic Party "did not demonstrate before the district court a likelihood of success on the merits."

Ohio Democrats then filed an emergency injunction with the Supreme Court, claiming that the circuit court's overturning of the order had "no basis in law." The shorthanded court declined to hear the case, noting that Ohio law already makes voter intimidation illegal.