A federal judge blocked the U.S. Postal Service from implementing President Trump’s executive order on mail ballot delivery, ruling it violates a 2021 settlement. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan found the proposed USPS rules would prevent ballot delivery if states did not meet the order's requirements, directly contravening the settlement's mandate to prioritize Election Mail.

This ruling, stemming from a lawsuit originally filed by the NAACP, prevents the Postal Service from accepting or delivering noncompliant mail-in ballots. The order would have required states to provide lists of mail-in voters and use individualized barcodes for tracking, potentially giving the federal government an unprecedented role in election administration.

The judge’s decision nationwide is the second time a court has halted Trump’s directives on mail-in voting. Sullivan's opinion noted that the Postal Service cannot publish policies for prioritizing Election Mail if its own rules dictate it will reject noncompliant ballots or refuse delivery to states that do not certify voter lists.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson stated the ruling is a blow to attempts to "rig the election." The order’s potential to place voter data in the hands of federal officials also fueled fears of aggressive voter purges.