Judge Blocks Trump's Mail-Voting Restrictions Again

About two dozen Democratic-led states sued the U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday over a new federal rule restricting mail ballot delivery. The lawsuit came two days after the Supreme Court dismissed an earlier state challenge as premature.

• 25 Democratic attorneys general signed on to the new lawsuit.
• The USPS rule, published Friday, requires states to get federal envelope-design approval and submit eligible-voter lists.
• Trump's executive order still cannot take effect under a separate, still-active injunction.
• The Supreme Court's Monday ruling found the earlier state lawsuit was premature — not that the order was legal.

Why it matters: The timing is the central problem. Election officials say the new rule cannot be implemented before the first mail ballots go out next week.

• New York AG Letitia James said the federal government is "attempting to meddle" in state election preparations and threatening Americans' right to vote.
• The White House called the USPS plan "commonsense measures that protect the security of mail-in ballots."

How 83 sources split on this story

Where they split: The core dispute is whether the federal government has the authority to set conditions on mail ballot delivery, or whether that power belongs exclusively to the states.

What’s next: U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston found the new rule violated her existing injunction but has not yet taken action.

• The administration is pressing Talwani to revoke her second injunction, citing the Supreme Court's Monday ruling.
• Will any federal judge block the USPS rule before the first mail ballots ship next week?
• Will Judge Talwani revoke her second injunction, and if so, does the League of Women Voters suit provide a new basis for a block?
• Does the Supreme Court's premature-lawsuit ruling leave the door open for a substantive challenge once the rule takes full effect?