Judge extends block on Trump-ordered USPS mail-ballot rule, citing disenfranchisement risk

A federal judge in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction blocking key parts of President Trump’s rule requiring states to meet new USPS requirements for mail-in ballots ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections. The rule would require voter lists, unique ballot-envelope barcodes, ballot-design certifications and registration with a federal portal, while allowing USPS to reject or return ballots that do not comply. Judge Indira Talwani said the rushed rollout could make the disenfranchisement of millions of mail voters nearly inevitable and noted that the administration had presented no evidence of mail-voting fraud to justify the changes. Election officials and voting-rights groups argued that the requirements were operationally infeasible and risked severe disruption, while the administration maintained that states could voluntarily opt into parts of the system and indicated it may appeal to the Supreme Court. The injunction replaces an earlier temporary restraining order and applies to the 2026 elections, allowing states to continue using existing mail-ballot procedures.