Federal judge again blocks USPS ballot rule changes ahead of midterms

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued a second injunction on Thursday, stopping the Postal Service from enforcing new ballot-mailing rules for the upcoming midterm elections. The order, issued hours after the agency announced the rules had taken effect, pauses requirements that states submit approved voter lists and adopt new ballot formatting before the Postal Service can deliver mail-in ballots.

Talwani said states "have neither time nor funds" to redesign ballots, update election systems or train officials on the new USPS portal before the election, which is scheduled for November. The restrictions were enacted after the Supreme Court cleared the way for them, but voting-rights groups and Democratic officials argue that only Congress, not the president, can set election regulations.

The legal dispute began in March when President Donald Trump directed the Postal Service to withhold ballots unless states complied with the new requirements. A prior district-court ruling blocking the rules was overturned by the Supreme Court on a procedural basis, prompting plaintiffs to refile. Attorneys general from 24 states have also filed a lawsuit asserting that constitutional authority over election rules rests with Congress. A hearing on the renewed case is set for September 3, coinciding with the start of ballot distribution.