Supreme Court blocks Trump's plan to restrict mail-in ballots

The US Supreme Court has rejected President Donald Trump's plan to restrict voting by mail before November's midterm elections, in a setback for the White House.

The justices upheld a federal judge's order that temporarily blocked the US Postal Service (USPS) from moving forwards with new requirements for postal ballots.

One legal group said in response that the decision would prevent the USPS from "sowing chaos in our elections".

But it is unlikely to be the final word on the matter. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a conservative, agreed with the ruling, but indicated he might later rule in Trump's favour as litigation in the case continues.

Trump, who argued the rules would combat electoral fraud, signed an executive order in March that directed the USPS to deliver ballots only to voters on lists of citizens.

Legal challenges argued that the move violated states' constitutional rights to run elections.

Election officials from 24 Democratic-led states and the District of Colombia also warned that the proposed changes were not ready for implementation and could prevent ballots from reaching voters.

Meanwhile some Republican-led states, including Florida, Louisiana, and Montana, supported the president in court filings.

Justice Kavanaugh wrote in the opinion that there was "at least a fair prospect that the final rule falls within the Postal Service's statutory authority". But he argued that "applying the rule in the 2026 elections would be arbitrary and capricious".

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, also conservatives, dissented. They wrote that the challenge to Trump's order was a "Hail Mary pass" that was unlikely to be successful ultimately.

"The Postal Service has broad authority to regulate the mail," they added.

Supreme Court allows late-arriving mail-in ballots in defeat for Trump

About 30% of voters, mostly Democrats, cast postal ballots in the general election two years ago. However, several states like Oregon, Washington, and Colorado rely heavily or entirely on mail ballots for their elections, requiring Republicans to use the system as well.

Seven Republican state election officials warned the justices , external that allowing significant changes to mail ballot rules so close to the midterm elections would "lead to mistakes, delays, and confusion".