SCOTUS rejects Trump's mail ballot restrictions — SkimNews
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- The US Supreme Court rejected Trump's bid to allow the US Postal Service to enforce rules targeting mail-in ballots, refusing to lift US District Judge Indira Talwani's injunction before the November elections
- The unsigned court order stated the administration was "unlikely to succeed on the merits" of its challenge to Talwani's injunction
- Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, with Alito writing that some plaintiffs lacked standing and calling the rest of the case a "Hail Mary pass"
- Justice Brett Kavanaugh, appointed by Trump, voted with the majority against the administration, though he indicated he could support the policy at a later stage
- The USPS rule, adopted after Trump's March executive order, required states to submit a list of recipients and use previously approved ballot envelopes, and let USPS reject non-compliant ballots
- In late August, the Supreme Court had temporarily allowed Trump to move ahead with the executive order on procedural grounds but declined to rule on its legality
- Alabama, North Carolina and Wisconsin have already begun mailing ballots for the midterm elections; critics warned the restrictions could disrupt delivery and disenfranchise mail-reliant voters
Why it matters: A Trump-appointed justice (Kavanaugh) siding with the majority deepens the blow to the administration's case, and with ballots already going out in three states, the court's finding that it is "unlikely to succeed on the merits" effectively shuts down Trump's push to impose new mail-in ballot rules for this cycle — though Kavanaugh's signal he could support the policy later leaves a door open beyond November.
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