Supreme Court deals Trump a blow, blocks new mail ballot restrictions ahead of midterms

The US Supreme Court on Monday refused to allow the Trump administration to enforce new restrictions on mail-in ballots, dealing a setback to its efforts to tighten voting-by-mail rules ahead of the November midterm elections.

The justices rejected the Justice Department's emergency request to suspend a lower-court order that had blocked the US Postal Service (USPS) from implementing the new requirements while legal challenges continue. Conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, with Alito saying the administration was likely to prevail in its appeal.

The USPS adopted the contested rules following President Donald Trump's March executive order seeking tighter controls on mail voting. Under the rules, states would have to provide the Postal Service with lists of voters receiving mail ballots and use USPS-approved envelopes carrying unique barcodes for ballots being sent and returned.