Supreme Court denies Trump bid to enforce tougher mail‑voting rules

The United States Supreme Court on September 15, 2026 refused to allow the Trump administration to put new, tougher rules for mail-in ballots into effect, handing the president a legal setback ahead of November’s congressional elections. The court’s short explanation said it was unlikely the government would prevail on appeal, leaving in place a lower court’s temporary injunction.

What the ruling means in practice

Because the Supreme Court declined to clear the administration’s policy, states may continue to send voting materials by mail under the procedures they have used for years. Officials in several states had already begun mailing ballots or voter packets under existing rules before the high court’s decision.

At the end of March, President Donald Trump ordered the United States Postal Service to deliver mail voting materials only to people who appear on voter rolls compiled by the states, and said the Postal Service could refuse deliveries from states that did not meet those conditions. Critics warned this would make the postal service a gatekeeper in the electoral process rather than just a carrier, and argued the plan would disadvantage Democratic voters who more often use mail ballots.

Democratic officials welcomed the ruling as a relief. California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on X: "The American people finally have certainty when it comes to the electoral process in our country." Civil-rights group the ACLU said: "The Constitution gives states and Congress the authority to set election rules, not the president and the Postal Service."

The administration defended its proposal as an effort to prevent alleged election fraud, though there is little evidence to support widespread fraud claims. Among other things, Trump has baselessly blamed mail voting for his defeat by Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

Photo: press material from the event