Courts Block Trump USPS Mail-Ballot Rules

A federal judge in Washington blocked the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing new requirements for mail ballots, ruling that the agency likely exceeded its statutory authority and warning that the changes could prevent otherwise valid ballots from being counted. The regulations, developed under President Donald Trump’s executive order, would require Postal Service approval of ballot-envelope designs and compel election officials to submit voter and barcode information through a federal portal. The ruling is the latest in a series of court decisions stopping the administration’s effort to reshape mail voting before the November midterm elections, while the Supreme Court considers whether to revive parts of the policy. Election officials have argued that implementing the requirements so close to the election would be impractical, and a federal appeals court has also upheld an injunction blocking the rules. The administration has asked the Supreme Court to intervene, making its decision potentially consequential for mail voting nationwide.