# Supreme Court Blocks Trump's Mail Ballot Rules 7-2

- URL: https://twotakes.us/stories/supreme-court-blocks-trumps-mail-ballot-rules-7-2-2
- Published: 2026-09-15T13:09:12.925964+00:00
- Topics: supreme-court, mail-in-voting, elections, postal-service, trump-administration

## What the left says
- The Postal Service rule would have imposed unprecedented federal control over how states run mail-in voting, an area historically left to state discretion.
- With ballots already going out in states like North Carolina, Alabama and Wisconsin, implementing new barcode and voter-list requirements this close to the election risked disenfranchising millions of voters.
- The rule stemmed from a Trump executive order pushing unsubstantiated claims of mail-ballot fraud, part of a broader pattern of attempts to assert federal control over elections and sow doubt about results.
- Voting rights groups and Democratic state officials argue the courts and Supreme Court correctly stopped an 11th-hour effort to disrupt a voting method used by nearly a third of the country.

## What the right says
- The rule was framed by the administration as an election-security measure meant to verify that ballots go only to confirmed registered voters.
- Justice Alito's dissent argues the Postal Service has broad legal authority to regulate the mail and likely had the power to enact these restrictions.
- Alito's dissent also faults the challenging states and courts for the delays that made timely implementation impossible, arguing they shouldn't benefit from a timing problem they helped create.
- Justice Kavanaugh's concurrence leaves open the possibility that the rule could be found lawful and applied in future elections, suggesting this is a timing defeat rather than a permanent one.

## Common ground
- The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 to block the Postal Service mail-ballot rule from taking effect for the 2026 midterms.
- Justices Alito and Thomas dissented, while Justice Kavanaugh concurred with the majority but signaled openness to the rule's legality in future cases.
- The ruling came as mail voting was already underway in several states, creating a compressed timeline for any new rule to be implemented.
- Nearly one-third of American voters rely on mail-in ballots, making the outcome consequential regardless of one's position on the rule itself.

## Sources
- [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-says-trump-cannot-enforce-new-mail-ballot-regulation-rcna596088) (Lean Left)
- [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/14/us/politics/supreme-court-trump-mail-voting.html) (Lean Left)
- [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/14/us/politics/supreme-court-trump-mail-in-ballots.html) (Lean Left)
- [NPR](https://www.npr.org/2026/09/14/nx-s1-5962190/supreme-court-mail-in-voting-trump) (Lean Left)
- [PBS NewsHour](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/supreme-court-rejects-trump-mail-ballot-restrictions-ahead-of-midterms) (Lean Left)
- [The Guardian US](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2026/sep/14/donald-trump-mail-in-voting-supreme-court-blocked-ukraine-oil-diplomat-latest-news-updates) (Left)
- [The Guardian US](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/14/supreme-court-rejects-mail-ballot-restrictions) (Left)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/6089348-supreme-court-rejects-trump-mail-ballots/) (Center)
- [Townhall](https://townhall.com/news/josephchalfant/2026/09/14/the-supreme-court-just-ruled-against-election-security-n2682955) (Right)
- [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/09/14/supreme-court-blocks-sweeping-mail-ballot-restrictions-midterm-elections/) (Lean Left)

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