Overview
- U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued the temporary restraining order late Thursday, pausing core parts of the finalized USPS rule for 14 days while she considers a longer preliminary injunction.
- The blocked provisions would have required states to submit lists of mail‑ballot recipients to a USPS portal and to use unique barcodes on outbound and return ballot envelopes, with the Postal Service empowered to refuse noncompliant ballots.
- Talwani found the government offered no evidence of widespread mail‑ballot fraud and said the rule poses an overwhelming risk of disenfranchisement because many states lack time and funds to redesign envelopes, reprint ballots, update systems, train staff, and upload voter data before the midterms.
- The White House and USPS defended the rule as an election‑security measure and said they will appeal, following a separate recent Supreme Court procedural decision that had allowed the administration to move forward after earlier injunctions were lifted.
- Next steps include a Sept. 3 hearing in Boston to consider a preliminary injunction, likely rapid appeals from the administration, and close attention to state printing and mailing deadlines that could affect military, overseas, elderly, and other mail voters.