U.S. Federal Judge Blocks USPS Mail‑in Voting Rule After NAACP Lawsuit

Washington, D.C.—District Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled in favor of the NAACP, blocking a United States Postal Service rule that would have imposed new limits on mail‑in ballots. The judge found the proposal violated a 2021 settlement that obliges the USPS to prioritize timely delivery of election mail. The contested rule required states to supply lists of absentee voters, introduced new envelope specifications, and threatened to refuse delivery of ballots not on those lists.

The decision comes weeks before the November 3 midterm elections, halting a Trump administration effort to tighten mail‑in voting requirements through an executive order. NAACP attorneys said the ruling protects millions of voters who rely on postal ballots, while the administration had argued the changes were needed to safeguard election integrity. Earlier court actions have also blocked the executive order, and the Supreme Court upheld a Mississippi law allowing post‑marked ballots to be counted after Election Day.