🇺🇸 Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s New Mail-Voting Restrictions

A second U.S. federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from enforcing new U.S. Postal Service (USPS) rules that would impose additional requirements on mail-in voting ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections. U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols issued a preliminary injunction preventing the USPS from implementing the rules. His decision follows a similar ruling by Boston-based Judge Indira Talwani, who had previously blocked the administration's efforts to enforce the regulations. The disputed rules would require states to submit voter-eligibility information to the USPS and impose new requirements for mail-ballot envelopes, including unique barcodes. The administration says the measures are intended to strengthen election security, while opponents argue they could interfere with states' constitutional authority over elections and cause valid ballots to be rejected. The legal battle is now moving toward the U.S. Supreme Court. The Trump administration has asked the Court to intervene and allow the restrictions to take effect, while lower courts continue to block their implementation. A federal appeals court also declined on September 10 to lift the earlier injunction. With some states already beginning to distribute mail ballots, the timing of the litigation could have significant consequences for election administrators and voters ahead of the November 3, 2026 midterm elections. Source: https://apnews.com/article/trump-mail-voting-executive-order-midterms-906aa1247f096609e61a1bd2369a57e9