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Federal Judge Extends Block of USPS Mail Voting Rule Through Election Day

The ruling comes 60 days before the midterm elections.

A United States Postal Service mail collection box.

A United States Postal Service mail collection box is seen as a person walks in to the USPS building on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane) Jenny Kane/AP

By Gavin J. Quinton

September 4, 2026 06:19 p.m.

A federal judge on Friday extended a block on the U.S. Postal Service’s ability to limit mail-in voting, this time through Election Day, Nov. 3.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani’s ruling replaces an earlier temporary restraining order in the protracted legal battle over President Donald Trump’s order to crack down on mail-in voting. The decision, handed down 60 days before Election Day, further delays implementation of a rule allowing the Postal Service to compare mail-in ballots to the federal government’s list of eligible voters.

“The court concludes that disenfranchisement for Plaintiff Organizations’ members, regardless of residence, is practically inevitable,” Talwani wrote in the Friday ruling.