US Supreme Court rejects Trump's mail-in ballot restrictions FAST-MOVING

Supreme Court mail-in ballots midterm elections US Postal Service voting rights

The US Supreme Court has rejected an emergency request from the Trump administration to implement new mail-in ballot restrictions ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The decision upholds a lower court injunction that prevents the US Postal Service (USPS) from enforcing a March executive order.

The proposed rules would have required states to adopt uniform envelope styles, use specific barcodes, and submit voter lists to a federal online portal. Under the plan, the USPS could have refused to deliver ballots that did not meet these technical requirements or were not on the provided lists. Election officials and voting rights groups argued that implementing such a massive overhaul so close to the election would cause widespread chaos and disenfranchisement.

In a concurring opinion, Justice Brett Kavanaugh noted that while the rules might eventually be legal, applying them to the 2026 midterms would be ‘arbitrary and capricious’ due to the lack of time for implementation. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, arguing the Postal Service has broad authority to regulate the mail and that the administration's challenge was likely to succeed on its merits.

This ruling allows states to continue using their existing mail-in voting processes. This is particularly significant for states like California, Oregon, and Washington, which rely heavily on mail-in ballots. Some states, including Alabama, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, had already begun mailing ballots before the decision was reached.

Entities

Brett Kavanaugh · Donald Trump · Indira Talwani · Samuel Alito · Supreme Court of the United States · U.S. Postal Service · U.S. Supreme Court · US Postal Service · US Supreme Court

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 27 SOURCES] The Supreme Court rejected a push to allow the U.S. Postal Service to play a central role in determining mail ballot eligibility. looniepolitics.com · www.winnipegfreepress.com · wtop.com · bitcoinethereumnews.com · chicago.suntimes.com · +22 more
[● 3 SOURCES] Under the proposed plan, the Postal Service could have refused to deliver ballots to non-compliant states. looniepolitics.com · www.winnipegfreepress.com · wtop.com
[● 19 SOURCES] The administration developed a plan requiring states to use a uniform envelope style and submit voter lists to an online portal. looniepolitics.com · www.winnipegfreepress.com · wtop.com · www.singtaousa.com · madhyamamonline.com · +14 more
[● 7 SOURCES] A whistleblower report suggested the new requirements could prevent millions of mail ballots from being sent. looniepolitics.com · www.winnipegfreepress.com · wtop.com · bitcoinethereumnews.com · www.singtaousa.com · +2 more
[● 13 SOURCES] Under the proposed rules, the USPS could have refused to deliver ballots that did not comply with specific requirements. www.singtaousa.com · madhyamamonline.com · themoderatevoice.com · www.aljazeera.com · bitcoinethereumnews.com · +8 more
[● 8 SOURCES] Justice Kavanaugh indicated the rules might be legal in the future but were too late to implement for the 2026 midterms. 100percentfedup.com · reason.com · chicago.suntimes.com · thesentimes.com · www.europesays.com · +3 more
[● 5 SOURCES] Alabama, North Carolina and Wisconsin had already begun mailing ballots before the ruling. madhyamamonline.com · thesentimes.com · chicago.suntimes.com · freerepublic.com · www.correiodamanhacanada.com
[● 5 SOURCES] The administration proposed requiring states to use uniform envelope styles and submit voter lists to an online portal. www.singtaousa.com · madhyamamonline.com · thesentimes.com · themoderatevoice.com · www.aljazeera.com
[● 11 SOURCES] Justice Alito dissented, arguing the Postal Service has broad authority to regulate the mail. www.singtaousa.com · 100percentfedup.com · thesentimes.com · chicago.suntimes.com · reason.com · +6 more
[● 10 SOURCES] The Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration's request to lift an injunction blocking new USPS mail-in ballot rules. www.singtaousa.com · madhyamamonline.com · thesentimes.com · 100percentfedup.com · themoderatevoice.com · +5 more