Federal Judge Blocks Authoritarian USPS Ballot Rule Meant to Suppress Voters
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A Boston federal judge has courageously halted a Trump-era Postal Service regulation that threatened to undermine democracy by targeting mail-in ballots. The judge cited likely unconstitutionality and granted a 14-day pause, protecting voters’ rights as litigation continues.
In a significant victory for democracy and voting rights, a U.S. District Court judge in Boston has issued a temporary restraining order stopping a draconian Postal Service regulation designed to intimidate and disenfranchise voters ahead of the November midterm elections. The rule, a product of a Trump administration executive order, would have forced the Postal Service to track ballots and potentially reject those not on a federal list—an unprecedented federal overreach into state-run elections. Plaintiffs, including the League of Women Voters and a coalition of states, rightfully argued that this regulation grossly exceeds presidential authority and was enacted without congressional approval.
Judge Indira Talwani’s ruling was clear: the regulation is “most likely unlawful because the president cannot insert the federal government into elections without the express authorization of Congress.” She emphasized that the plaintiffs are “likely to succeed on the merits of their claims.” The order blocks the rule for at least 14 days, a period that may still leave states scrambling to undo the chaos sown by this reckless policy.
New York Attorney General Letitia James denounced the rule as “a clear attempt by the federal government to interfere in elections it has no power to control.” The administration, clinging to its anti-democratic agenda, could appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
Judge Talwani further noted that the government had provided no evidence of the widespread voter fraud often used as a pretext for such measures, and warned that the changes could disenfranchise countless voters. While a separate decision lifted an earlier injunction on other parts of the executive order, a Supreme Court ruling this week found Talwani had acted too quickly on that injunction but did not address the legality of the current Postal Service regulation. Alarmingly, a provision requiring the Department of Homeland Security to compile voter eligibility lists remains in effect, continuing the administration’s assault on voting rights.