Supreme Court Blocks Trump’s Plan to Restrict Mail-in Ballots
The US Supreme Court has rejected President Donald Trump’s plan to restrict voting by mail before November’s midterm elections, in a setback for the White House.
By Lisa Lambert and Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Published 15 September 2026, 00:55 BST
Updated 8 hours ago
The justices upheld a federal judge’s order that temporarily blocked the US Postal Service (USPS) from implementing new requirements for postal ballots. However, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a conservative, suggested he might later rule in Trump’s favor as litigation continues.
Trump, arguing against electoral fraud, signed an executive order in March directing USPS to deliver ballots only to voters on citizen lists. Legal challenges claimed this violated states’ constitutional rights to conduct elections.
In his opinion, Justice Kavanaugh acknowledged there was "at least a fair prospect" the rule fell within USPS’s authority but that applying it in the 2026 elections would be "arbitrary and capricious."
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, describing the challenge as a "Hail Mary pass" unlikely to succeed. They emphasized USPS’s broad authority to regulate mail.
The White House did not immediately comment on the decision. About 30% of voters, predominantly Democrats, cast postal ballots in the 2020 general election.
Trump has sought to restrict mail-in voting since returning to office, despite having voted by mail himself. He maintains this method facilitates non-citizen voting and fraud. The March executive order introduced unique barcodes on ballot envelopes and required state and local officials to provide information about mail-ballot recipients to an online portal.
Twenty-three states and Washington DC sued to stop the order, while the postal workers’ union expressed concerns about insufficient training for clerks ahead of the election. In court filings, the Trump administration maintained the new USPS rules were constitutional.
On September 4th, Judge Indira Talwani imposed an injunction blocking the order, ruling that implementing measures close to the elections could disenfranchise voters. A US appeals court refused to put her order on hold last week. Another federal judge, Judge Carl Nichols, ruled against Trump’s order on Sunday.
Some states have already begun distributing mail-in ballots for the midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress.
