U.S. Judge again blocks Postal Service’s mail-in voting restrictions

A federal judge ‌on Friday (September 4, 2026) extended a ban stopping President Donald Trump’s administration from implementing a new U.S. Postal Service ​rule that would tighten mail-in voting requirements ahead of the November congressional elections.

Boston-based U.S. District Judge Indira ⁠Talwani issued the injunction at the behest of Democratic-led states and voting rights groups, after one state sent out mail ballots for the elections on Friday (September 4, 2026). Ms. Talwani wrote that only laws passed by Congress can supersede states’ authority over elections, adding “the executive has no inherent authority” ‌over voting rules.

Congress has never delegated authority over voting to the Postal Service, Ms. Talwani wrote, and the agency’s new rule “clashes with Congress’s statutory scheme, and is unconstitutional.”