President Donald Trump expressed strong disapproval of the Supreme Court following a ruling that rejected his administration's initiative to establish new mail-in voting regulations through the U.S. Postal Service. Trump characterized the court's decision as a significant loss for Republicans and the country, suggesting it makes mail-in voting fraud easier.
The court's order, which was unsigned, denied the Trump administration's request for a stay on a universal injunction against the proposed USPS rules. These rules would have mandated specific envelopes for federal ballot mail, requiring them to have an election-mail logo, be scannable by high-speed equipment, and include a unique barcode for each voter. State and local election officials would also have needed to submit envelope designs for Postal Service review and upload basic voter information to a USPS portal.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in a concurring opinion, suggested that while the Postal Service might have the statutory authority for such a rule, implementing it before the 2026 midterm elections would be impractical and potentially violate the Administrative Procedure Act due to insufficient time for election officials to adapt.
Trump praised Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, who dissented from the order, calling them "legends." The former president also referenced previous Supreme Court decisions that he felt went against his administration, including rulings on tariff policies and an executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship. He stated that he felt it was his obligation as president to criticize the court for the sake of the country.
The Supreme Court's decision came as the 2026 midterm elections approach, and the rejected USPS rule would have applied to mailings that did not comply with the new requirements. Such non-compliant mailings would have been returned to election officials for correction and resubmission.