By: Richard L. Smith
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport is praising a U.S. Supreme Court decision that keeps new U.S. Postal Service restrictions on mail-in ballots from taking effect ahead of the November midterm elections.
According to Reuters, the Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump administration’s request to enforce the new USPS rule while litigation continues.
The Court said the federal government was “unlikely to succeed on the merits” of its challenge to the lower court’s preliminary injunction.
The rule would have required states to provide USPS with information about mail-ballot recipients and use approved ballot envelopes containing unique barcodes.
The Trump administration argued the requirements were reasonable regulations of election-related mail, while the states challenging the rule argued they imposed new burdens on state-run election systems just weeks before ballots were scheduled to be mailed.
Davenport, who joined a coalition of 25 states challenging the rule in August, said the Supreme Court’s action protects New Jersey’s established vote-by-mail system.
“We are pleased that the Supreme Court refused to permit the U.S. Postal Service to require states to implement this rushed and arbitrary rule,” Davenport said.
“This rule sought to undermine the states’ established vote-by-mail systems and throw our elections into chaos.”
The Attorney General said New Jersey would continue challenging efforts it believes improperly shift election administration from states to the federal government, adding, “We’ll always keep fighting to protect every New Jerseyan’s vote.”
When New Jersey initially joined the lawsuit, Davenport argued that states have primary responsibility for administering elections and said implementing the USPS requirements on short notice could create administrative problems and potentially prevent eligible voters from receiving ballots.
The Attorney General’s Office noted that more than 840,000 New Jersey voters cast ballots by mail during the 2024 general election.
The Supreme Court’s decision leaves the lower-court injunction in place, allowing states to continue their existing mail-ballot procedures as the underlying litigation proceeds.