WASHINGTON: Trump mail-ballot rules may move forward into the planning stage after the US Supreme Court voted 6-3 on Monday, August 24, to lift a lower-court restriction.
The court granted an emergency request from the Trump administration. As a result, the Department of Homeland Security and US Postal Service may continue work required by President Donald Trump’s March executive order.
However, the Supreme Court stressed that its ruling did not decide whether any final rules would be lawful. The unsigned majority order said future measures could still face legal challenges.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said the state would sue again to block implementation. Attorney General Rob Bonta also called the ruling procedural and said California expected to file a fresh case within days.
Bonta said the earlier challenge was premature because the Postal Service had not yet issued a final regulation. The agency issued a 95-page rule on Friday covering ballot-envelope design and federal collection of ballot data.
Trump’s order also directs the Department of Homeland Security to compile state-by-state lists of voting-age US citizens. However, the Supreme Court said states are not required to use those lists.
Read: US Supreme Court Tariffs Decision Lifts Bond Yield Fears
White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis called the decision a win for election security. She said the administration would continue pursuing measures aimed at ensuring that only eligible Americans vote.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, joined by Justice Elena Kagan. She said the decision did not determine whether Trump’s directives were lawful.
Read: Lisa Cook Removal Blocked by US Supreme Court
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson filed a separate dissent. She argued that the ruling could create uncertainty ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections. About 30% of US voters and 80% of California voters cast ballots by mail in 2024.
