The Supreme Court has refused to lift a judicial block on a controversial US Postal Service rule that critics said would suppress mail-in voting in the 2026 elections.
The court issued an unsigned order stating the Trump administration “is unlikely to succeed on the merits of its challenge to the” preliminary injunction blocking the rule nationwide.
The injunction was originally issued by a federal court judge in Boston, preventing the USPS rule from taking effect ahead of November’s elections across the country.
The rule, which stemmed from an executive order issued by Trump in March, established new standards for ballot envelopes and required states to create lists of voters eligible to receive mail ballots.
States would have been required to upload voter data to an online portal before ballots could be sent, but that portal was not yet operational at the time of the ruling.
The rule also required changes to ballot envelope designs, including an official logo and barcode, despite many states having already purchased and begun distributing their existing envelopes.
The court appeared divided 7-2, with Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito registering dissents against the majority’s decision to leave the block in place.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who sided with the majority, wrote separately that while he believed there was at least a “fair prospect” that the final rule falls within the Postal Service’s statutory authority, applying it ahead of the 2026 election would be unlawful given insufficient time for officials to implement it.
A coalition of two dozen Democratic-led states and voting rights groups had challenged the rule, describing it as a power grab by a president who has long falsely alleged widespread voter fraud in mail voting.
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold responded to the ruling directly, saying “Trump’s attempt to sabotage the 2026 elections has failed.”
The decision removes significant uncertainty for election officials nationwide, many of whom had been preparing contingency plans to overhaul their mail ballot systems just weeks before Election Day.
The ruling is a considerable setback for the Trump administration, which had pushed the Postal Service rule as part of a broader effort to reshape how Americans cast their votes.