A federal judge lifted a major legal obstacle to President Donald Trump’s executive order on mail-in ballots. The ruling came just two days after the Supreme Court sided with Trump on procedural grounds, which is deemed to lead to another potential showdown before the high court.
New ruling suggests Donald Trump can use USPS for mail-in ballots ahead of the midterms
According to the Associated Press, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston dissolved an injunction that had blocked the Postal Service from carrying out Trump’s order. This will allow the U.S. Postal Service to enforce new rules ahead of the midterms. She acted after the Supreme Court’s conservative majority ruled that a similar injunction she granted in a separate case was premature. Talwani called the executive order “likely unconstitutional” and warned it could trigger “chaos,” but said she felt “compelled” to lift the block.
The administration can now move forward with a Postal Service rule published late Friday. The rule would require states to use a uniform envelope style for mail-in ballots and provide USPS with lists of voters eligible to receive them. Election officials say they cannot meet the requirements before the first mail ballots are sent out next week.
However, the new rule is the first concrete action from the Trump administration on mail voting since the president issued his executive order months ago. Trump has repeatedly attacked mail voting and falsely blamed it for his 2020 election loss.
New York Attorney General Letitia James leads the coalition of 25 Democratic attorneys general. She said states have already begun preparations for the 2026 elections and accused the federal government of last-minute interference. “Across the country, states are already deep into preparations for the 2026 elections. Now, at the last moment, the federal government is attempting to meddle in those preparations and potentially threaten countless Americans’ right to vote,” James said in a statement. “USPS has no authority to decide who can and cannot vote by mail.” The Postal Service is yet to comment.
