Judge Blocks USPS Mail Ballot Rule Ahead of Midterms

A federal judge in Boston issued a preliminary injunction Friday barring the Postal Service from enforcing its new mail-in ballot requirements before November's election.

On Friday night, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued a preliminary injunction temporarily barring the U.S. Postal Service from requiring states to comply with the envelope-design and portal-registration provisions of its new mail-ballot rule, replacing an earlier temporary restraining order that was set to expire. According to SCOTUSblog, Talwani concluded that immediate implementation of the final rule less than 70 days before the November 2026 election threatens disenfranchisement of millions of Americans who vote by mail.

The ruling came just hours after the Trump administration had urged the Supreme Court to freeze Talwani's earlier 14-day restraining order, arguing the application would become moot once she acted. Instead of letting the order lapse, she converted it into a preliminary injunction, keeping the rule on hold for the duration of the litigation. SCOTUSblog reports her decision found the record contains no evidence of fraudulent mail voting to justify the rushed rollout.

The disputed rule requires states to submit voter name and address data tied to a barcode on every mail ballot into a federal portal before ballots enter the mail stream, with USPS refusing delivery to non-compliant states. According to ABC News, the Postal Service says it will not determine voter eligibility or upload birthdates or Social Security numbers, but the data will help facilitate federal law enforcement. The order stops short of the most controversial provision — withholding ballots from voters not on a government list — which remains blocked in a separate case.

The fight traces to Trump's March executive order on mail-in voting. In late August, the Supreme Court allowed the administration to implement key portions, according to ABC News, in a 6-3 decision with the liberal justices dissenting, finding the suing states had not yet been harmed. But litigation continued: 23 states led by California and the District of Columbia challenged the order in Massachusetts federal court, where Talwani barred implementation in those jurisdictions through the November 3 election.

Mail voting is used by roughly one-third of the nation's voters, per reporting carried in the source materials, and the legal clock is running fast. Solicitor General D. John Sauer warned that once ballots enter the mailstream they cannot be retrieved, noting North Carolina and Alabama would begin sending ballots in early September. Voting advocates worry federal consolidation of voter data undermines state-run elections; the administration argues the rules are modest anti-fraud measures.

The Supreme Court has directed challengers to respond to the administration's emergency application by Tuesday, September 8, though the Friday injunction may render parts of that request moot, per SCOTUSblog. No state has yet sued over the specific USPS rule provisions. Separately, Missouri's redistricting fight also heads to the justices, where the state's high court denied a stay of its order requiring the Trump-backed congressional map to go to a public vote, according to KMBC.