Supreme Court Blocks Trump Order Restricting Mail-In Ballots

The Supreme Court of the United States blocked an executive order from President Donald Trump that sought to restrict mail-in voting ahead of the midterms. The order would have required postal workers to reject ballots based on state-provided voter lists, placing execution authority under Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. An earlier proposal to require certified mail for all ballots was abandoned after the postal service declared it impossible to execute.

David Steiner, the Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service, directed the agency to prepare for the order's implementation, including the development of a voter roll portal. Steiner halted work on the portal following the court's rejection, arguing that as an independent agency of the executive branch, he was simply fulfilling his duty to follow executive rules. Career officials and the American Postal Workers Union had previously warned the system was untested and designed to create chaos.

Steiner now faces bipartisan criticism. Democratic officials have labeled him a pawn of the president, while Republican Senator Josh Hawley called for his resignation and introduced legislation to block Steiner's bonus, citing issues with abandoned mail. Steiner has dismissed the congressional backlash as theater and stated he has no intention of resigning. Separately, Steiner warned that the postal service may run out of cash unless Congress lifts a $15 billion borrowing cap to offset a $9 billion net loss from the previous year.