A federal judge on Wednesday halted the U.S. Postal Service's proposed restrictions on mail-in ballot delivery, delivering a significant legal setback to the Trump administration's efforts to tighten voting procedures. The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, blocks Postmaster General David Steiner's plan to withhold ballot delivery from states that refuse to share sensitive voter data with federal officials.
Steiner had told lawmakers last week that the measure was intended to ensure "the right ballots are going to the right people," but voting rights groups argued it was an unlawful power grab. The NAACP, which sued to enforce a 2021 settlement, contended the new rules would disproportionately affect minority voters who rely heavily on mail-in ballots.
In a 19-page opinion, Judge Sullivan—a Clinton appointee—wrote that the proposed changes were "designed to exert federal control over who in the United States may be sent a mail-in or absentee ballot in federal elections by the Postal Service." He ruled that the plan violated a December 2021 settlement requiring USPS to "prioritize monitoring and timely delivery of election mail" through the 2028 election cycle.
The Trump administration had directed USPS in March to propose a final rule by August 3, requiring states to compile eligible voter lists at least 60 days before federal elections and barring ballots from being sent to anyone not on those lists. Critics said the timeline was designed to create chaos and suppress turnout.
The NAACP asked the court in early June to compel USPS to comply with the settlement, arguing the agency was ignoring its obligation to take "extraordinary measures" to ensure timely processing of mailed ballots. The group warned the new procedures would "inevitably" disenfranchise large numbers of qualified voters, particularly minorities.
"The proposed USPS changes would have created unnecessary and unlawful barriers, in direct violation of the USPS's mandate to prioritize election mail," said Anthony P. Ashton, senior associate general counsel at the NAACP, in a statement. "This decision makes clear that access to the ballot cannot be tied to arbitrary requirements."
Judge Sullivan rejected USPS's arguments that the challenge was premature and that the court lacked authority to intervene because the proposed rule fell outside the settlement agreement. Wednesday's ruling marks the second legal defeat for the administration on this issue in two weeks. Last Thursday, a Boston-based federal judge struck down the underlying executive order, finding it infringed on states' constitutional authority to regulate elections.
The decision comes amid ongoing legal battles over voting access, including the Supreme Court's upcoming review of Arizona's proof-of-citizenship voting rules. The Postal Service's proposed restrictions had drawn sharp criticism from voting rights advocates, who saw them as part of a broader push to limit mail-in voting—a practice President Trump has long criticized without evidence.
