Trump administration renews Supreme Court bid after judge extends block on mail-in voting

The Trump administration has asked the US Supreme Court to allow new mail-in voting restrictions to take effect before states send millions of ballots for November’s congressional elections.

The emergency request, filed Sunday, asks the Supreme Court to lift a federal court order blocking a US Postal Service rule that would impose new requirements on mail ballots. US District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston extended the block on Friday, prompting the administration to return to the Supreme Court with a fresh application.

Solicitor General John Sauer argued that keeping the restrictions on hold could create uncertainty as states begin distributing ballots. He warned that every day the injunction remains in place “risks sowing confusion and chaos” as more voters receive mail ballots. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has given opponents until Wednesday to respond to the administration’s request.

The dispute comes as the November 3 midterm elections approach. North Carolina became the first state to mail ballots for the election on Friday, meaning the timing of the Supreme Court’s decision could affect states already moving ahead with postal voting.

The Postal Service rule was introduced to implement an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in March. It would require states to provide USPS with lists of voters receiving mail ballots, while ballot envelopes would have to carry unique barcodes. USPS would also be permitted to reject ballots that do not meet the new requirements or that are linked to voters missing from the lists.

The administration had previously asked the Supreme Court to intervene after Talwani issued an earlier, temporary injunction. Before the justices ruled on that request, the judge extended the restriction on Friday, prompting Sunday’s new filing.

Mail-in voting is available in every US state, although the rules vary. Twenty-nine states allow voters to request a mail ballot without giving a reason, while eight states conduct elections entirely by mail. Trump has repeatedly called for tighter controls on mail voting and has made unsubstantiated claims that widespread fraud was responsible for his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.