Supreme Court denies Trump's request to restrict mail

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 had temporarily blocked the US Postal Service (USPS) from moving forward with new requirements for postal ballots.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a conservative, agreed with Monday's ruling, but indicated he might rule in favour of the Trump administration after the coming elections.

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

Some states and critics had argued that the Trump administration's USPS rules stepped on states' rights to run elections.

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 dissented from the ruling.

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.

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