Judge Halts USPS Mail-In Ballot Proposal Tied to Trump Election Integrity Effort, Citing 2021 Settlement

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday blocked the U.S. Postal Service from moving forward with a proposed rule that would tighten mail-in ballot delivery requirements tied to a Trump administration election integrity effort, according to multiple reports.

The proposed change is linked to a Postal Service effort meant to support an executive order issued in March that directed the Postal Service to propose a final rule by Aug. 3. The rule, as described by reporters, would require states to compile lists of eligible voters at least 60 days before federal elections and would prohibit mail-in or absentee ballots from being sent to voters not on those lists.

In the Wednesday ruling, District Judge Emmet Sullivan granted the NAACP’s bid to enforce a December 2021 settlement, which the judge said likely required the Postal Service to “prioritize monitoring and timely delivery of election mail” through the 2028 elections. Sullivan concluded the Postal Service’s proposed approach conflicted with that settlement obligation, according to reporting that described his reasoning in a 19-page opinion.

The decision comes as the Trump administration sought to expand federal control over mail-in ballot administration through the Postal Service. Reporting said the Postal Service’s proposal would also require a new envelope design for mail-in ballots, including specifications for logos and barcode placement, and that ballots not conforming to the requirements would be returned or otherwise not delivered.

Postmaster General David Steiner, in congressional testimony and related statements reported last week, said the Postal Service would not deliver mail-in ballots in states that refuse to provide sensitive voter data requested under the Trump administration’s plan, and that the approach was intended to ensure the “right ballots are going to the right people.” The judge’s order blocked the proposed rule before it could be implemented.

NAACP attorneys argued in court filings, according to coverage, that the Postal Service’s new procedures would violate the 2021 settlement and could “inevitably” disenfranchise qualified voters, including voters more likely to rely on mail voting. The ruling also addressed the NAACP’s contention that the proposed rule was already having a “real impact on present day affairs,” as described by one outlet.

The USPS proposal had been part of a broader effort to enlist the federal agency in mail-in voting rules, with a prior court battle already delaying parts of the administration’s approach. With Sullivan’s order in place, the Postal Service cannot carry out the proposed restrictions while the dispute continues, and the timeline for any related final rulemaking would be affected by the court’s decision.

The judge’s order heightens the legal and administrative friction around mail-in voting procedures that rely on cooperation between state election systems and federal delivery requirements. For states, the ruling limits the administration’s ability to impose ballot-delivery conditions through the Postal Service based on voter-list submissions described in the proposal.