The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6–3 that the executive branch could begin to implement the order, per Reason Magazine. But the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a block just days later.
Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, issued a preliminary injunction. According to Reason Magazine, this action completely prevents the Postal Service’s new rule regarding mail-in ballots from taking effect until the associated litigation concludes. The high court had previously cleared the way for the administration’s order. Now, the specific steps required to enforce it are on hold.
The Supreme Court did not give a free pass to the government. Their unsigned majority opinion included a sharp warning. The court rejected the administration’s emergency application to stop a Sept. 4 decision by Judge Indira Talwani. She is an Obama appointee and a past Democrat donor. A temporary restraining order she issued days before was superseded by the preliminary injunction.
Judge Nichols found a major legal gap in the new plan. Reason Magazine noted that while Congress must grant authority for the Postal Service to enforce the Rule, no statute empowers the agency to issue key parts of the Rule.
The Federalist reported that election officials would be compelled to submit ballot-envelope designs for approval and upload voter information with unique tracking barcodes to a new USPS portal. The challengers included groups like the League of Women Voters. The Supreme Court had earlier ruled it was too soon to hear the challenge because the administration had not yet issued the rules.
According to The Federalist, the court determined the administration is unlikely to succeed on the merits of its challenge to the injunction.
The legal battle is not over. The Supreme Court closed one chapter on the President’s plan. But the lower court’s block remains in place. Judge Carl Nichols made it clear that the Postal Service lacks the power to enforce these specific parts of the rule without new laws from Congress.
The dispute centers on Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution. The court must now wait to see how the litigation plays out. The administration wants to move fast for the midterm elections this November. The courts say the rules must wait. The final word belongs to the judges, not the executive branch.
