A federal judge has lifted the final injunction blocking new US Postal Service requirements for mail-in ballots, clearing USPS to apply the rules to the November midterms unless another court intervenes. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown immediately joined a new lawsuit seeking to stop them.
US District Judge Indira Talwani vacated her nationwide injunction Wednesday after the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled that states had challenged President Donald Trump’s executive order too early.
The earlier lawsuits targeted the executive order before USPS finalized its ballot-mail rules. SCOTUS found that the states lacked standing at that stage, but the Court did not decide whether the executive order or the resulting USPS requirements are legal.
USPS has now finalized those requirements. The rule directs election administrators to provide USPS with information about voters receiving mail-in ballots, to use unique barcodes, and to submit ballot-envelope designs for federal review.
Postal employees would scan outgoing ballot envelopes and check the barcodes against information in a new federal portal. USPS could refuse mailings that fail that process and return them to election administrators for correction.
The previous injunction kept USPS from applying the rule to the 2026 election. Wednesday’s ruling removed that protection, although voting-rights organizations and a coalition that includes Maryland have already filed new challenges against the final rule itself.
Attorney General Brown joined a 25-state coalition in suing USPS hours before the judge lifted the injunction. The coalition also requested a temporary restraining order to prevent USPS from enforcing the requirements while the case moves forward.
The lawsuit argues that USPS lacks authority to regulate how states conduct mail-in voting. It also claims the rule violates the Constitution, federal voting-rights law, the Privacy Act, and laws governing USPS.
The coalition says the requirements give states only weeks to redesign ballot envelopes, build systems for sharing voter information with USPS, train election workers, and explain the changes to voters. It also warns that administrative errors, technical problems, or postal delays could prevent eligible voters from receiving their ballots.
The new lawsuit does not automatically stop the rule. For now, no court order prevents USPS from applying it to the November election.
The rule does not eliminate mail-in voting in Maryland or change who qualifies to request a ballot under Maryland law. However, it could force State and local election administrators to change how they prepare ballot mail, transmit voter information, and submit mailings to USPS.
Maryland law allows any registered voter to request a mail-in ballot. According to the Attorney General’s Office, 765,695 Marylanders cast mail-in ballots during the 2024 general election, accounting for roughly one-fourth of participating voters.
Election preparations are already underway, and Maryland plans to begin sending mail-in ballots in September. The coalition’s request for immediate relief will determine whether election administrators must follow the new USPS requirements this fall.
The legal fight now focuses directly on the final USPS rule, which addresses the procedural problem SCOTUS identified earlier this week. Courts still have not decided whether USPS can lawfully impose these conditions on state-run elections.
Stay tuned to Conduit Street for more information.
Useful Links
Maryland and Other States’ Complaint Challenging the USPS Rule
Federal Court Order Vacating the Nationwide Injunction
SCOTUS: Trump v. California, August 24, 2026
USPS Final Rule: Ballot Mail for Federal Elections
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