Second Federal Judge Freezes Trump Mail Voting Rules
A second federal judge blocked President Trump's executive order restricting mail-in ballot delivery late Sunday, creating a legal impasse as the Supreme Court prepares an emergency ruling. The injunction halts U.S. Postal Service rules as absentee balloting begins for the 2026 midterms.
Consecutive federal injunctions against Trump's mail voting restrictions set up an immediate Supreme Court decision that will define election administration rules weeks before midterm voting.
Background President Trump issued an executive order requiring state election offices to submit recipient lists and use barcoded envelopes for mail ballots handled by the Postal Service. Voting rights advocates and state officials sued, arguing the mandate threatens to disenfranchise millions of legitimate voters.
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U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols issued a preliminary injunction late Sunday halting USPS enforcement, ruling that voters face significant risk of uncounted ballots without court intervention.
The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to lift prior holds on the Postal Service rule, putting the 6-3 conservative majority in position to issue a decisive pre-election order.
The court battle erupted as states like North Carolina began mailing absentee ballots for the November general election, forcing local election boards to navigate conflicting legal standards.
Postal worker unions and congressional whistleblowers warned that implementing complex barcoding and recipient verification during active voting could delay millions of legitimate mail-in ballots.
Watch Supreme Court emergency ruling this week: if the conservative majority lifts lower court injunctions, election workers must overhaul mail ballot processing while voting is already underway.
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