Trump's USPS mail-ballot rules hit a second roadblock as Supreme Court weighs case

A second federal judge has blocked the U.S. Postal Service's new mail-ballot rules for the November 3 midterm elections as the Supreme Court deliberates on whether to permit the restrictions in another case. This development adds another obstacle to the Trump administration's efforts to alter mail voting. The blocked measures would permit the Postal Service to reject ballots that do not satisfy new criteria, with mail voting already under way in certain states.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee in Washington, D.C., concluded that Congress authorized the Postal Service to handle mail, but not to compel states to register mail voters in a federal portal or to reject ballots that fail its checks. Nichols' decision follows a similar injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston, which was upheld by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on September 10.

Talwani's ruling deemed the postal rules unconstitutional and in violation of federal statute, while Nichols' new ruling was based solely on his conclusion that Congress' Postal Reorganization Act does not authorize many of the new rules.

The White House and U.S. Postal Service have not yet responded to inquiries. President Trump has been a vocal critic of mail voting, despite using the method himself, including in Florida's August primaries. In March, the administration issued an executive order directing the Postal Service to establish new envelope, tracking, and voter-list requirements for mail voting.

The Supreme Court had previously lifted a previous injunction due to the final rule not having been published yet. However, after its publication, challengers returned to court and secured new injunctions in Boston and Washington, D.C. The administration is now requesting the high court to overturn Talwani's order and allow the new rules to take effect.