LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan’s Democratic trio of Attorney General Dana Nessel, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is celebrating after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to let the Trump administration implement new U.S. Postal Service (USPS) requirements for mail ballots ahead of November’s election.
The Supreme Court on Monday denied the administration’s request to stay a preliminary injunction blocking the USPS rule for the 2026 election. The Court said the government was “unlikely to succeed on the merits” of its challenge to the injunction. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented.
Three Michigan Democrats Celebrate
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Nessel said she was “profoundly relieved,” accusing the administration of creating “manufactured chaos and confusion” as Michigan prepares to mail ballots.
Whitmer also applauded the decision, saying, “States run elections, not the federal government,” while arguing the ruling protects the ability of millions of Michiganders to vote by mail.
Benson called Trump’s effort a “failed power grab,” adding, “States run elections – not the federal government, not the postal service, and not the president.”
The three Democrats have opposed the USPS rule since Michigan joined 22 other states, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro in suing to stop it in August.
What the Trump Administration Wanted
The USPS rule, stemming from a March executive order from President Donald Trump, would require states to provide information about voters eligible to vote by mail and comply with new USPS-approved ballot-envelope requirements.
USPS could refuse to deliver ballots to voters who did not appear on the required lists or reject ballot mail that failed to meet the new envelope standards. The administration argued USPS has authority to regulate mail handling and that the changes could be implemented before the election.
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The states argued the requirements intruded on their constitutional authority to administer elections and were being imposed too close to Election Day. A federal district judge agreed to temporarily block implementation, and the First Circuit subsequently refused to lift that injunction.
Kavanaugh: Timing Is the Problem
The Supreme Court’s decision does not necessarily mean the USPS lacks authority to impose such requirements in the future.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that there is “at least a fair prospect” that the rule falls within USPS statutory authority. However, he concluded that imposing it during the 2026 election would violate federal administrative law because state and local election officials did not have enough time to reasonably implement the changes.
