Federal Judge Blocks New US Postal Service Mail-in Voting Rule
Judge Carl Nichols grants preliminary injunction against administration policy on mail-in voting requirements
Quick Look
US District Judge Carl Nichols has issued a preliminary injunction blocking a new Postal Service rule that would have tightened mail-in voting requirements, siding with the Democratic Party's challenge against the administration's policy.
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Why It Matters
The administration sought to implement new rules tightening mail-in voting requirements ahead of the November 3 midterms. The Democratic Party challenged the rule as an unlawful federal intrusion.
A second federal judge late on Sunday moved to block President Donald Trump’s administration from implementing a new US Postal Service rule that would tighten mail-in voting requirements, though the US Supreme Court is still weighing the administration’s request to overturn a separate order blocking the rule.
Washington-based US District Judge Carl Nichols’ decision comes as Trump’s Republicans battle to retain control of both houses of Congress in the November 3 midterms. Trump, who falsely claims that his 2020 presidential election defeat was the result of widespread voter fraud, has for years called for restrictions on voting by mail.
Nichols granted a request from the Democratic Party for a preliminary injunction blocking the rule, which the party called an unlawful intrusion by the federal government into election administration.
“No statute grants the Postal Service the power to issue key parts of the rule,” wrote the judge, who was appointed by Trump during his first term in the White House.
Open Questions
- How will the Supreme Court rule on the separate pending request?
- Will the administration appeal Judge Nichols' specific injunction?
