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

On September 14, a second federal judge, Carl Nichols, from Washington, blocked President Donald Trump's administration from enforcing a new U.S. Postal Service rule. This rule aimed to tighten requirements for mail-in voting, an issue that Trump and his Republican allies have long supported despite often voting by mail themselves.

The judge granted a preliminary injunction requested by the Democratic Party and groups such as the NAACP, arguing that the rule would hinder some individuals' ability to vote by mail. Nichols stated that the rule exceeded the Postal Service's authority as it lacked a statutory basis for certain key components. The Department of Justice informed the 6-3 conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court of the decision on Monday, suggesting that the judge might be compelled to set aside his ruling if the justices rule in favor of the administration in its earlier appeal.

A similar order was previously blocked by another judge, Indira Talwani, on September 4, also at the behest of Democratic-led states and voting rights groups. The administration requested the Supreme Court to pause that order to allow the USPS to implement the new rule. The rule required states to provide a list of eligible voters for mail ballots and unique barcodes on mail envelopes, which the USPS could refuse to deliver if the voter did not appear on the list or if the state did not comply.

Democrats argued that the rule would infringe upon state authority over elections and potentially disenfranchise millions of eligible voters. They emphasized that the Constitution assigns election administration responsibilities to the states, not to the president or executive branch agencies. The Justice Department, representing the administration, argued that the USPS was not attempting to usurp federal election administration control and emphasized that the rule did not override state laws and did not prevent voters from casting mail-in ballots.

All 50 states permit some form of mail-in voting, with 29 states allowing voters to request mail ballots without a reason and eight states conducting their elections entirely by mail.