Supreme Court weighs emergency request to lift mail-ballot restrictions before midterms

The Trump administration has filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court to lift a district-court injunction that stops key parts of a March executive order aimed at tightening mail-in voting. The order would compel the U.S. Postal Service to obtain state-compiled eligibility lists and could block ballot delivery to anyone not on those lists. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, handling the emergency appeal, has set a deadline for the plaintiff states to respond, and a ruling could follow shortly.

Conflicting decisions from appellate courts in Washington, D.C., and Massachusetts have left the Massachusetts injunction standing, prompting the high-court request. Legal scholars and voting-rights advocates argue that the Postal Service lacks sufficient time to enact the changes before the November midterms. Should the Court side with the administration, opponents are prepared to seek further judicial intervention once the rules are finalized.