Trump Critiques Supreme Court Over Mail-in Ballot Restrictions
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Trump Criticises Supreme Court After Justices Block Mail-in Ballot Restrictions
Image source: Getty Images
By Lisa Lambert, Washington, Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu and Kayla Epstein
Published 15 September 2026, 00:55 BST | Updated 2 hours ago
The US Supreme Court has rejected President Donald Trump’s plan to restrict voting by mail before November’s midterm elections, a setback for the White House.
The justices upheld a federal judge’s order temporarily blocking the US Postal Service (USPS) from implementing new requirements for postal ballots.
Trump called the decision a blow to his political party:
"Republicans just got another bad decision from the United States Supreme Court," he wrote on Truth Social.
One legal group responded that the ruling would prevent USPS from "sowing chaos in our elections."
The ruling is unlikely to be the final word; Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a conservative, agreed with the ruling but indicated he might later rule in Trump’s favour as litigation continues.
Trump, who argued the rules would combat electoral fraud, signed an executive order in March directing USPS to deliver ballots only to voters on citizen lists. Legal challenges argued that the move violated states’ constitutional rights to run elections.
Election officials from 24 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia warned that the proposed changes were not ready for implementation and could prevent ballots from reaching voters. Meanwhile, some Republican-led states like Florida, Louisiana, and Montana supported the president in court filings.
Justice Kavanaugh’s opinion noted:
"There is at least a fair prospect that the final rule falls within the Postal Service’s statutory authority." However, he argued, "applying the rule in the 2026 elections would be arbitrary and capricious."
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, also conservatives, dissented. They described the challenge to Trump’s order as a "Hail Mary pass" unlikely to succeed ultimately.
In a Truth Social post, Trump criticised the Supreme Court’s Monday decision, along with other key rulings against him, such as striking down his executive order on birthright citizenship and elements of his tariff policies.
"The Supreme Court has really let our Country down!" he wrote, alleging some justices were "totally unable to show the courage necessary to save our America."
Trump added:
"These are not the people I interviewed to serve on the United States Supreme Court."
About 30% of voters, mostly Democrats, cast postal ballots in the general election two years ago. However, several states like Oregon, Washington, and Colorado rely heavily or entirely on mail ballots for their elections, requiring Republicans to use the system as well.
