# Supreme Court Blocks Trump's Mail-Ballot Rules 7-2 - URL: https://twotakes.us/stories/supreme-court-blocks-trumps-mail-ballot-rules-7-2 - Published: 2026-09-15T01:10:51.722227+00:00 - Topics: mail-in-voting, supreme-court, elections, usps, trump-administration ## What the left says - Elections are constitutionally and historically managed by states, and this ruling stops an attempt by the federal government to insert itself into how mail ballots are processed and delivered. - The rule would have let USPS refuse delivery of ballots to voters not on a state-submitted list, which advocates warned could disenfranchise eligible voters through technical errors or delays. - There is no evidence of widespread mail-ballot fraud, and the administration's own justification for the rule rested on unsupported claims, even as Trump himself has voted by mail. - Election officials from both parties, including Republican officials in vote-by-mail states like Utah, warned that implementing these sweeping changes with weeks to go before the midterms was logistically impossible and risked chaos and confusion. ## What the right says - The administration argued the barcode and voter-list requirements were modest, reasonable safeguards well within USPS's broad statutory authority to regulate the mail, not an unconstitutional federal takeover of elections. - Justice Kavanaugh's concurrence, joined in spirit by the dissenters' reasoning, acknowledges the rule likely falls within the Postal Service's legal authority — the objection was only to the timing, not the substance. - Justices Alito and Thomas argue the states and lower courts themselves created the delay that made timely implementation difficult, and that plaintiffs should not benefit from a problem of their own making. - Protecting against mail-ballot fraud is a legitimate government interest, and the rule was designed to bolster public confidence in the integrity of an election system nearly a third of the country now relies on. ## Common ground - The Supreme Court ruled 7-2, with only Justices Alito and Thomas dissenting. - The ruling keeps the lower court's injunction in place, meaning USPS cannot enforce the new mail-ballot rules for the 2026 midterms. - Justice Kavanaugh's concurrence found the rule likely within USPS's legal authority in principle but concluded implementation this close to the election would be impractical and unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act. - Mail ballots had already gone out in several states, including North Carolina, before the ruling was issued, making a late rule change logistically fraught. ## Sources - [ABC News](https://abcnews.com/Politics/supreme-court-rejects-trump-administrations-attempt-restrict-mail/story?id=136442477) (Lean Left) - [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/09/14/supreme-court-trump-mail-in-voting-rule) (Lean Left) - [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/video/supreme-court-rejects-trump-mail-ballot-restrictions-for-now/) (Lean Left) - [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-blocks-new-postal-service-mail-ballots-trump/) (Lean Left) - [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/supreme-court-rejects-trump-bid-revive-strict-mail-ballot-rules-before-midterms) (Right) - [HuffPost](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/supreme-court-trump-usps-rule_n_6aa0697de4b03076360532e0) (Left) - [Just The News](https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/supreme-court-blocks-president-trumps-mail-ballot-order?utm_source=justthenews.com&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=external-news-aggregators) (Right) - [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-says-trump-cannot-enforce-new-mail-ballot-regulation-rcna596088) (Lean Left) - [Newsmax](https://www.newsmax.com/politics/donald-trump-mail-voting/2026/09/14/id/1269429) (Right) - [NPR](https://www.npr.org/2026/09/14/nx-s1-5962190/supreme-court-mail-in-voting-trump) (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) - [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/09/14/supreme-court-blocks-sweeping-mail-ballot-restrictions-midterm-elections/) (Lean Left) - [Washington Times](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/sep/14/supreme-court-refused-trump-bid-use-post-office-block-mailed-ballots/) (Right) --- Content by TwoTakes (https://twotakes.us). You may quote, summarize and cite it, including in AI answers, as long as you credit TwoTakes and link the story URL. Original reporting belongs to the linked outlets. Summaries are AI-assisted and reviewed for balance; check the original sources for authoritative reporting.