Judge Halts Postal Service From Implementing Trump's Mail Ballot Directive
WHO:
Fox News - U.S. Postal Service, President Trump, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, NAACP
WHAT:
Slate Magazine - Trump signed an order that sought to establish a national voter database by forcing states to provide a list of all of their registered voters, in the pursuit of preventing “voter fraud.”
Slate Magazine - The order included a specific call to action for USPS to establish new standards for mail ballots and to refuse to transmit mail ballots from individuals who live in states that had not provided a list of their voters to the federal government.
Slate Magazine - Steiner testified before Congress that the United States Postal Service would not deliver mail ballots in states that don’t hand over their voter rolls to the Trump administration.
Slate Magazine - The Trump administration is likely to appeal Talwani’s order, and there are still plenty more lawsuits against the president’s executive order on mail voting that need to play out in the courts.
ABC News Politics - A group of Democratic governors is asking the U.S. Postal Service to withdraw its proposed rule to comply with an executive order that seeks to create a federal list of eligible voters, including those eligible to receive a ballot by mail.
Slate Magazine - At least five lawsuits were filed against Trump’s executive order, including by 23 states and Washington, D.C.
Slate Magazine - U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled that Trump’s order is unconstitutional and in violation of the Constitution’s separation of powers doctrine.
Slate Magazine - Talwani stated, “The Constitution reserves the power to determine voter eligibility to the States alone. Neither the Executive Branch nor Congress may interfere with this power.”
Fox News - A federal judge blocked the U.S. Postal Service from implementing President Trump's executive order on mail-in ballots nationwide.
CNN - The judge found that the proposal violated a settlement in a 2020 lawsuit against the Postal Service.
CNN - Trump directed the USPS to only transmit ballots for states that submit lists of their mail-in voters and meet other requirements.
CNN - The ruling blocks the directives nationwide, following a previous halt in Boston for two-dozen states.
WHERE:
CNN - The ruling was issued by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, who sits in Washington, D.C.
WHEN:
CNN - The executive order from Trump was issued in March 2026.
WHY:
CNN - The ruling stems from a lawsuit originally brought by the NAACP against the Postal Service due to policy changes that slowed mail delivery during the pandemic election.
CNN - The settlement required the Postal Service to publish guidance on prioritizing the monitoring and timely delivery of Election Mail.
HOW:
Slate Magazine - USPS published a proposed rule that detailed how it would not deliver mail ballots in states that had not provided their voter rolls to the federal government, citing compliance with Executive Order 14399.
CNN - Sullivan stated that the proposed regulations would not allow ballots to be delivered if they were not compliant with the executive order's requirements.
CNN - Trump's order would require mail ballot envelopes to have individualized barcodes for automated tracking, which many jurisdictions may find challenging to implement due to costs.
CNN - The order directs the Department of Homeland Security to use federal databases to assemble lists of voting age citizens in each state.
(UPDATED July 3, 2026 04:16 UTC)
Trump has signed an order aimed at creating a national voter database by requiring states to submit their registered voter lists, all in an effort to combat what he calls "voter fraud." The order also directs the United States Postal Service to establish new standards for mail ballots, specifically refusing to send ballots from states that do not comply with providing their voter rolls. Meanwhile, a group of Democratic governors is urging the Postal Service to retract its proposed rule that aligns with this executive order, and the Trump administration is expected to appeal a related court ruling while facing ongoing lawsuits regarding mail voting.
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(UPDATED July 2, 2026 17:32 UTC)
At least five lawsuits have been filed against Trump’s executive order, with 23 states and Washington, D.C. joining the legal challenge. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled that the order is unconstitutional, emphasizing that the Constitution reserves the power to determine voter eligibility solely to the states, and neither the Executive Branch nor Congress can interfere. In connection with this, the USPS published a proposed rule stating it would not deliver mail ballots in states that had not provided their voter rolls to the federal government, citing compliance with Executive Order 14399.
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(UPDATED July 2, 2026 13:41 UTC)
A federal judge has blocked the U.S. Postal Service from carrying out President Trump's executive order on mail-in ballots across the nation. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, based in Washington, D.C., found that the order violated a settlement from a 2020 lawsuit brought by the NAACP, which sought to ensure timely delivery of Election Mail. The ruling prevents the Postal Service from enforcing regulations that would complicate the delivery of ballots, including requirements for individualized barcodes and the use of federal databases to compile lists of voters.