Overview
- U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued a 14‑day temporary restraining order late Thursday that bars the Postal Service from enforcing its finalized rule on ballot envelope designs, unique barcode mandates and the federal portal for voter recipient lists.
- The USPS rule, issued after President Trump’s March executive order, would force states to submit names, addresses and individualized barcode data to a federal portal and require USPS approval of envelope designs before ballots are mailed.
- Talwani wrote that plaintiffs are likely to win because the rule exceeds the Postal Service’s authority, offers no evidence of widespread mail‑ballot fraud, and poses a significant risk of disenfranchisement given tight production and training timelines.
- Democratic attorneys general and voting rights groups refiled suits after the final rule was published and the Supreme Court lifted an earlier injunction, and the judge set an expedited hearing for September 3 to consider a preliminary injunction.
- The administration and USPS say the changes improve ballot tracking and security but rapid appellate filings are expected, which could bring the dispute back to the Supreme Court before most mail ballots are sent.