U.S. Supreme Court Lets Trump Mail-In Voting Order Take Effect Temporarily

The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily allowed President Donald Trump’s mail-in voting executive order signed on March 31 to take effect, with the court saying the suspension harmed the federal government and that its decision “does not mean that any measure the government takes to implement this decree will necessarily be legal.”

“By a vote of six to three, the Supreme Court of the United States allowed the entry into force”

20 Minutes

The ruling came by a vote of six to three, with the three progressive justices dissenting, and it concerned the creation of a federal list of eligible voters so that the Postal Service would only be able to issue mail-in ballots to people listed on that roster.

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The BBC reported that Labour Minister Tahmina Akhter said the government would launch an immediate investigation, while the Reuters team at the scene counted at least 28 bodies laid out in a nearby schoolyard.

In the same dispute, the Postal Service would only be able to issue mail-in ballots to people listed on the roster, and the court’s conservative majority said the suspension harmed the federal government while states challenging the decree argued otherwise.

With less than two months ahead of the midterms on November 3, 2026, North Carolina began sending its first ballots on Friday, while the rules that could govern their handling remained tied to a legal battle over Trump’s decree.

A judge handling the case extended the suspension until Election Day, saying that “the myriad of obstacles cited and the negligible time for officials to familiarize themselves with the new procedures… will render compliance with these rules by local and state officials virtually impossible.”

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Solicitor General John Sauer told the Supreme Court that “Ballots have already begun to be mailed in North Carolina,” and he warned that “Once those ballot envelopes enter the mailstream, there is no retrieving them.”

In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justice Elena Kagan, said she believes the executive order already imposed potential harms on states and that the dispute should now be addressed on the merits, while Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson accused the conservative majority of contributing to electoral confusion.

The Trump administration’s filings sought to enforce USPS mail-ballot requirements that critics say impede states’ authority, including rules that require envelopes to include the official Election Mail logo, meet automation requirements, and carry unique barcodes.

““needlessly injects chaos and uncertainty into the upcoming midterm elections.””

ABC

The dispute also hinges on whether the Postal Service can act on voter eligibility through a federal list, and ABC News reported that the Supreme Court’s decision “needlessly injects chaos and uncertainty into the upcoming midterm elections.”A

ABC News also quoted a registrar, Jesse Salinas, saying, “You look at the timeline, and it's a bit chaotic,” and he added, “The capacity to do that, I just don't see it,” as ballots start going out in 11 days.A

Separately, an anonymous government employee whistleblower warned that a “rushed, chaotic and fundamentally flawed” effort by the USPS to implement Trump’s mail-in ballot executive order risks a “catastrophic failure” that could “derail the midterm elections,” and the report said “potentially millions of American voters might not receive their mail-in ballot this election cycle in a timely manner or at all.”