US Supreme Court rejects Trump mail ballot restrictions ahead of midterms

What the report says

The US Supreme Court has declined President Donald Trump’s request to let the US Postal Service enforce new limits on mail-in ballots, according to Al Jazeera. The decision, issued Monday, leaves in place a lower-court order blocking the rule as states and election officials prepare for the November midterm elections.

Al Jazeera reports that the policy followed a March executive order from Trump aimed at tightening mail voting. Under the plan, states would have been required to provide the Postal Service with recipient lists and use ballot envelopes already approved by the agency. Mail ballots that did not meet the new standards, or were not linked to registered voters on those lists, could have been rejected by the Postal Service.

US District Judge Indira Talwani blocked the measure, saying it likely conflicted with the Constitution and would be difficult to implement so close to the election. The Supreme Court’s unsigned order said the administration was unlikely to prevail on the merits. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, while Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined the majority but suggested he might view the policy differently later.

The ruling is significant because mail voting is widely used in some states, especially Democratic-leaning ones, and critics argued the restrictions could disrupt ballot delivery and disenfranchise voters. Al Jazeera also noted that Trump has repeatedly questioned mail-in voting, despite having used it himself.