Federal Appeals Court Denies Trump Administration's Request to Lift Block on USPS Mail-Ballot Rule
The First Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the administration's bid to overturn a district court injunction that halted a new Postal Service rule on mail-ballot design, citing constitutional concerns and potential voter disenfranchisement.
A three-judge panel of the First Circuit Court of Appeals refused to lift a lower-court order that barred the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing a new rule governing mail-ballot design ahead of the November midterm elections. The appellate judges said the administration had not demonstrated that the rule would avoid "chaos and widespread voter disenfranchisement" and noted the lack of evidence for the fraud claims cited by President Trump.
The panel, composed of Judges Gustavo A. Gelpí, Julie Rikelman and Seth Aframe, all appointed by Joe Biden, wrote that the rule would likely disenfranchise millions of voters while offering little benefit in preventing fraud. They added that the rule appears to regulate election procedures, a function reserved for states and Congress under the Constitution's Elections Clause, rather than an executive agency.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani had issued a preliminary injunction last week, finding the Postal Service requirements likely unconstitutional and warning that the timing would "nearly guarantee" significant disenfranchisement. The rule mandates that states and localities use specific ballot designs, unique barcodes, and an online portal to submit voter information, with non-compliant mailings to be returned.
The administration appealed to both the First Circuit and the Supreme Court. In a filing, Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked the high court to stay Talwani's injunction, arguing the rule is a lawful exercise of the Postal Service's statutory authority to regulate envelope design and addressee information.