Trump administration asks Supreme Court to lift block on USPS mail ballot rules

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to lift a federal judge's order that blocks a new U.S. Postal Service rule on mail ballots, the Associated Press reported.

President Donald Trump's administration is seeking to enforce election-integrity measures tied to a presidential executive order. That order calls for states to share lists of mail-ballot recipients and for barcode envelopes that help track ballots in the postal system. The Postal Service rule implements parts of that directive. Administration lawyers say the rules should operate while litigation continues, especially as midterm ballots begin to go out.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston issued the order that now blocks the Postal Service rule. The Justice Department's emergency application asks the Supreme Court to set that block aside. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson set a Sept. 8 deadline for a reply. Under the contested rule, the Postal Service may refuse ballots that do not meet the new compliance steps.

North Carolina is among states preparing an early wave of mail ballots, with a Friday distribution noted in coverage of the dispute. Other states will follow on their own calendars as absentee and mail programs open. A prior high court action allowed related administration plans to proceed without a final ruling on the underlying legal questions, according to AP and other national reports.

Election officials say chain-of-custody and tracking tools matter most when large volumes of ballots move through the mail in a short window. Barcode envelopes are designed to show where a ballot sits in postal handling, which supporters call a transparency step for both voters and canvass boards.

For voters who rely on mail ballots - including many older adults - the near-term task is practical. Use official envelopes, follow state instructions, and confirm receipt through state tracking tools when available. The Supreme Court filing is about whether the Postal Service may apply the new rule during the fight, not about canceling mail voting itself. Reuters and other outlets also covered the administration's request as states enter the midterm mailing window.