US Supreme Court Rejects Trump's Mail-Ballot Rule Bid
The US Supreme Court rejected President Trump's request on Monday. He wanted to lift a block on new mail-ballot rules.
The block stops US Postal Service changes for the 2026 midterm elections. States can keep using their current mail-ballot process.
The court said election officials lack enough time before the November midterms. Justice Brett Kavanaugh called the rule "arbitrary and capricious" for now.
He said the timing was the problem. Kavanaugh left open whether the rule could work later.
He said it might fit within the Postal Service's power. But he said it came too late for these midterms.
The rule required new envelope designs and a voter-data system. Trump's administration said the changes would improve ballot visibility.
It said the changes would help detect fraud. An earlier ruling did not decide if the rule was legal.
Voting in the midterm elections was already underway when the decision came. The decision came months before the midterm congressional elections.
Key Terms 3
- midterm elections US elections held partway through a president's term for Congress seats.
- Brett Kavanaugh A justice on the US Supreme Court.
- arbitrary and capricious A legal term meaning a rule was unreasonable or poorly justified.