US appeals court rejects Trump bid to implement new vote-by-mail rules

The First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston declined on Thursday to lift a lower-court injunction that had blocked new Postal Service rules affecting mail-in ballots, leaving the restrictions from taking effect before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The appeals court affirmed portions of Judge Indira Talwani’s ruling, saying the district court had made detailed findings about the potential for chaos and widespread disenfranchisement if the rules were implemented immediately.

The contested USPS rules, finalized in late August, would require mail-in ballot envelopes to carry unique scannable barcodes and would obligate states to provide lists of voters who will receive ballots by mail. The Postal Service also reserved the right to refuse to transmit ballots that do not meet the new standards or are not on submitted lists. Voting rights groups, including the League of Women Voters, argued that the changes would effectively block some voters who rely on mail-in ballots.

The Justice Department defended the rules, telling the appeals court that state officials would remain in charge of election administration and that the Postal Service’s role was limited to ensuring envelope compliance. The administration has argued the measures are needed to bolster election security. The appeals court rejected the motion to lift the injunction, pointing to practical problems highlighted by the district court — for example, that some states could not reprint compliant envelopes in time and that the Postal Service would face an enormous task scanning tens of millions of envelopes into a digital portal that is not yet operational.

The litigation is part of a broader, multi-front dispute: a coalition of voting advocacy groups and a group of 24 states plus the District of Columbia have both sued over the new rules. The Supreme Court earlier this year lifted a prior injunction by Judge Talwani, and the high court is also currently considering an emergency request from the administration. Separately, an anonymous whistleblower statement released on Sept. 1 and shared by Senator Richard Blumenthal alleged the Postal Service rushed implementation, producing a flawed system that could disrupt ballot delivery.