A federal judge issued a 14-day temporary restraining order late on Thursday, blocking new US Postal Service (USPS) rules that would have restricted mail-in voting ahead of the midterm elections. The order came hours after the restrictions had formally taken effect.
US District Judge Indira Talwani concluded that states face insurmountable practical obstacles before the election: they lack the time and resources to redesign ballots, overhaul election systems, and prepare officials to use a new USPS portal. Al Jazeera reported that the first midterm ballots are due to be sent out in about a week.
The rules stemmed from an executive order President Donald Trump issued in March. They required states to submit approved voter lists and comply with new ballot formatting standards before the USPS would deliver voting slips. Nearly a third of American voters cast their votes by mail.
Voting rights groups and Democratic officials had sued, arguing that only states and Congress hold the constitutional authority to set election rules. Judge Talwani agreed and blocked the rules over the summer. On Monday, the Supreme Court's conservative majority threw out that earlier ruling on a technicality, finding that the legal challenge had been filed before the rules formally took effect.
Once the restrictions became official on Thursday, Democratic officials and voting rights groups quickly refiled their challenge. Attorneys general from 24 states also filed a new lawsuit, making the same constitutional case: that the power to set election rules belongs to Congress and the states, with the executive branch holding no such authority.
The USPS has appealed the order blocking its plan. A hearing on the refiled case is scheduled for 3 September.
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