President Donald Trump has sought to limit mail-in voting and has ordered his administration to impose limits on its implementation.
Published July 1, 2026
A federal judge in the United States has blocked a proposed restriction on mail-in voting supported by President Donald Trump.
On Wednesday in Washington, D.C., District Judge Emmett Sullivan sided with the NAACP, a civil rights group, in its lawsuit against the United States Postal Service (USPS).
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Sullivan determined that this restriction likely violates a 2021 settlement that mandates expedited processing of mail-in ballots.
So he granted the NAACP’s motion to force compliance with the settlement, another setback to the Trump administration’s efforts to reshape America’s voting landscape.
“The NAACP plausibly suggests, and the Postal Service does not object, that the proposed rule already has a ‘substantial effect on contemporary affairs,'” Sullivan wrote in the decision.
The lawsuit centers on a rule the Postal Service filed in May that would require states to provide lists of absentee and mail-in voters. Ballots that do not fit the list will be returned.
The proposed rules would also require a new envelope design for mail-in ballots that would control the placement of logos and barcodes. Failure to do so will result in the Postal Service refusing to deliver your ballot.
The NAACP argued that the proposal conflicts with a 2021 legal settlement that requires postal officials to take “special measures” to ensure timely delivery of mailed ballots.
In Wednesday’s ruling, Sullivan said the settlement “provided that the Postal Service agreed to ‘prioritize the monitoring and timely delivery of election mail.'”
The decision comes less than five months before the Nov. 3 midterm elections that will determine whether President Trump’s Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress.
President Trump has expressed concern that he could be impeached for a third time if Democrats overturn Congress.
He also promoted a baseless theory that U.S. elections are vulnerable to “voter fraud,” citing commonplace election tools such as mail-in voting and electronic voting machines.
Elections are administered by state and local election officials as required by the U.S. Constitution. But the Postal Service’s proposed rules come as a result of efforts under the Trump administration to place new restrictions on voting.
In March, President Trump issued an executive order called “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of America’s Elections.” In it, he directed the Justice Department to take action against states that are “not complying” with certain standards for voting by mail.
He also accused states of violating the law by accepting absentee and mail-in ballots after Election Day.
But in a further blow to Trump, the Supreme Court on Monday upheld a state law that allows mail-in ballots to be counted by Election Day even if they are received after Election Day, as long as they are postmarked that day. The president’s executive order was also blocked by a lower court.
Civil rights advocates praised Wednesday’s court ruling and warned against President Trump’s efforts to restrict mail-in voting.
“The court today correctly recognized that the USPS’s plan to create barriers to mail-in voting is inconsistent with its promise to deliver election mail in a timely manner,” said Allison Zeeb, director of the Public Citizen Litigation Group, who argued on behalf of the NAACP.
“The USPS’ plan was unwise, illegal, and a threat to millions of voters who rely on mail-in voting to participate in our democracy.”
Sam Spital, director and general counsel for the Legal Defense Fund, who also represents the NAACP, said the Postal Service’s proposed plan is a “blatant attempt” to disenfranchise voters who rely on mail-in voting.
“Today’s decision recognizes that the USPS cannot ignore its legal obligation to deliver mail-in ballots to every voter in a timely manner,” Spital said.
