US Supreme Court rejects Trump mail ballot restrictions ahead of midterms

The US Supreme Court has dismissed President Donald Trump's efforts to allow the US Postal Service to enforce stricter rules on mail-in ballots ahead of the November midterm elections. The conservative-majority court denied an injunction that had previously blocked the rule, which was imposed by US District Judge Indira Talwani.

The rule, which was implemented after Trump signed an executive order in March, required states to provide the Postal Service with a list of voters and use approved ballot envelopes. The Postal Service could then reject ballots that did not meet the new criteria or were not associated with registered voters. Judge Talwani blocked the rule, arguing it violated the US Constitution and would be difficult to enforce with the midterm elections approaching.

The Trump administration subsequently requested the Supreme Court to allow the measure, but the court dismissed the appeal stating that the administration was unlikely to succeed. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, with Alito arguing that some plaintiffs did not have standing and that the claim presented was a "Hail Mary pass" recently endorsed by the court.