Trump’s mail-in voting restrictions blocked by a second judge

On September 14, a second federal judge thwarted the Trump administration's attempt to tighten mail-in voting requirements through a rule from the U.S. Postal Service. Washington-based U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols granted a preliminary injunction, blocking the rule which the Democratic Party deemed an unlawful intrusion into election administration.

The judge argued the new regulation could hinder some individuals from voting by mail and that the rule exceeded the Postal Service's authority as it lacks the necessary statutory power. The administration has yet to respond to the injunction. This decision follows a similar ruling by Boston-based U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani on September 4, where the judge blocked the rule on behalf of Democratic-led states and voting rights groups.

The administration promptly sought a Supreme Court pause to allow the USPS to implement the rule, implying the final decision may rest with the nation's highest court. The disputed rule mandates that states provide a list of eligible voters to the USPS, who must then apply unique barcodes to outgoing and return ballot envelopes.

If a voter does not appear on these lists or if states fail to comply with the new standards, the USPS would be authorized to deny delivery. In their court filing, Democrats argued that the U.S. Constitution assigns the responsibility of administering elections to the states, with congressional oversight, rather than the president and executive branch agencies.

They further claimed that the rule could disenfranchise eligible voters and violate the constitution by eroding state control over election decisions.