US judge blocks Trump mail voting rules for second time
This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.
A US federal judge blocked the Trump administration's mail voting rules for a second time, just days before midterm ballots are mailed. District Judge Indira Talwani's 14-day stay halts new USPS ballot requirements that took effect Thursday. The ruling comes as 24 states filed a separate lawsuit challenging the president's authority over election rules.
Key Facts
- District Judge Indira Talwani blocked the USPS ballot rules for 14 days late Thursday, hours after they took effect.
- The new rules require states to submit approved voter lists and follow new ballot formatting before USPS can deliver voting slips.
- The Supreme Court's conservative majority threw out Talwani's earlier ruling on Monday, saying the legal challenge was filed too early.
- Attorneys general from 24 states filed a new lawsuit this week arguing only Congress, not the president, can set election rules.
- A hearing on the refiled case is scheduled for September 3, just as ballots are set to go out.
The Ruling
District Judge Indira Talwani issued a 14-day stay on the USPS ballot rules late Thursday, hours after the agency said they had taken effect. Talwani wrote that states "have neither time nor funds" to redesign ballots, update election systems, or train officials on the new USPS portal before the upcoming election. The restrictions were enacted on Thursday after the Supreme Court cleared the way for them.
Legal Battle
The fight traces back to March, when Trump ordered the Postal Service to withhold ballots unless states supplied approved voter lists and new formatting rules. Voting rights groups and Democratic officials sued, arguing only states and Congress, not the president, can set election rules. Talwani agreed, blocking the rules over the summer, but the Supreme Court's conservative majority threw out that ruling on Monday on a technicality. Democratic officials and voting rights groups quickly refiled their challenge once the rules became official, allowing Talwani to block them once more.
State Lawsuits
Attorneys general from 24 states filed a new lawsuit this week making the same core argument: only the Senate and Congress, not the president, can have constitutional authority to set election rules. A hearing on the refiled case is scheduled for September 3, just as ballots are set to go out. That timeline means whatever Talwani or a higher court decides next could take effect as voting begins, or after it is already under way.
1 source
US judge blocks Trump mail voting rules for second time
