Supreme Court Blocks Trump’s Mail-Ballot Restrictions

US President Donald Trump has suffered another setback in the Supreme Court over mail-in voting. The court refused to allow the Trump administration to enforce new U.S. Postal Service (USPS) rules restricting mail ballots ahead of the 2026 federal midterm elections. The rules stemmed from an executive order issued by Trump on March 31. Under the proposed system, states would have been required to provide the USPS with lists of eligible voters at least 30 days before federal elections, while ballots could have been withheld from individuals whose names were not on those lists. The rules also called for specially designed envelopes carrying unique identifiers or barcodes.

Several states and voting-rights groups challenged the measures in federal court, arguing that the president does not have unilateral authority to alter the procedures governing federal elections. The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to lift lower-court restrictions and allow the USPS rules to take effect, but the court rejected that request. The decision prevents the new mail-ballot requirements from being implemented before the 2026 midterm elections. Trump subsequently criticized the Supreme Court and its justices over the ruling. Two justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, dissented, while the majority declined to allow the restrictions to take effect.