The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to allow the Trump administration to enforce new U.S. Postal Service rules that would have tightened requirements for mail-in ballots before the November 2026 midterm elections.
The rules would have required states to provide the Postal Service with lists of voters who received mail ballots and to use specially approved envelopes with unique barcodes. Ballots from states that did not comply with the new requirements could have been rejected by USPS.
The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to lift a lower-court injunction and allow the rules to take effect immediately. The Court declined that request, leaving the restrictions blocked while the legal challenge continues. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented.
The dispute began after President Donald Trump issued an executive directive in March calling for tighter controls on mail voting. The Postal Service later adopted a final rule implementing parts of that directive.
Several Democratic-led states and voting-rights groups challenged the policy, arguing that USPS does not have authority to impose election rules on states and that the changes could cause valid ballots to be delayed or rejected.
The administration has argued that the measures are intended to strengthen election security and reduce the risk of fraud, and that they would not eliminate mail voting.
Federal judges in Boston and Washington had already blocked the rules, finding that the Postal Service likely exceeded its authority and that the changes could interfere with states’ constitutional role in administering elections.
The Supreme Court’s action does not amount to a final ruling on whether the policy is lawful. It means only that the new restrictions cannot be enforced for now while the lawsuits continue.
With the November midterms approaching, the practical effect is that states can continue using their existing mail-ballot procedures without having to comply with the new USPS requirements at this stage.
Sources: U.S. Supreme Court | Reuters | U.S. Postal Service
By NJ RADAR Team