Supreme Court strikes down USPS mail-in voting rule

The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned a Postal Service rule that would have reshaped mail-in voting for the midterm elections, a significant victory for voting rights advocates and the states that contested the administration's plan. The 7-2 decision reverses the Court's earlier approval of President Trump's mail-in voting order.

The court determined that the government is unlikely to succeed in its challenge to the rule. The proposed rule required states to share voter lists with USPS, which would then verify those voters' participation in mail-in ballots before sending out ballots. The rule also mandated specific envelope designs. While the majority agreed that the administration did not succeed on the merits, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, joined by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, suggested there was a potential for the rule to align with the Postal Service's statutory authority, but expressed concerns about the practicality of implementing the rule in time for the midterm elections.

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, criticizing the plaintiffs' arguments as "cryptic" and asserting the Postal Service's authority to implement the rule. The decision is likely the final word on the rule for the current election cycle, with some experts questioning the feasibility of implementing the rule with just weeks left before the November election.