Overview
- U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued a 14‑day temporary restraining order late Thursday that prevents the Postal Service from enforcing core parts of a final rule issued to implement President Trump’s March executive order.
- The blocked rule would have required states to submit lists of mail‑ballot recipients to a USPS portal, use unique barcodes on outbound and return envelopes, and allowed USPS to refuse delivery of non‑compliant ballots.
- Talwani wrote that the plaintiffs are likely to win on the merits and stressed that states lack the time and funds to redesign envelopes, reprint ballots, update election systems, and train staff before the midterms.
- The administration calls the rule an election‑security measure and is expected to appeal quickly, making the dispute likely to return to higher courts before ballots are widely mailed.
- The case raises a core constitutional question about state control of elections and, if unresolved, could force election officials to rush last‑minute work or leave mail‑voting procedures unchanged for November.