A federal appeals court on Friday, July 18, 2026, permitted the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to advance proposed changes to its mail-in ballot delivery procedures despite ongoing legal challenges. The three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously halted a lower court order that had blocked the Postal Service from restricting delivery of mail-in and absentee ballots in states that do not provide eligible voter lists to the federal government.

The court found that USPS made a “strong showing that they will likely succeed” in arguing that the proposed rule was premature for constitutional or prudential review and fell outside the scope of a prior settlement agreement with the NAACP. The judges also ruled that USPS would suffer “irreparable harm” if unable to finalize and implement the rule before the November midterm elections, noting there “can be no do over” after the election.

These changes originate from a March executive order directing USPS to propose a final rule by August 3, 2026, aimed at ensuring mail-in ballots are sent only to eligible voters. Postmaster General David Steiner confirmed earlier in July that USPS would not deliver mail-in ballots in states refusing to share sensitive voter data with the Trump administration, stating this was to ensure the “right ballots are going to the right people.”

However, the NAACP filed a lawsuit in late June, contending that the proposal violates a December 2021 settlement requiring USPS to prioritize the monitoring and timely delivery of election mail through the 2028 elections. District Court Judge Indira Talwani previously ruled that the directive infringed on states’ constitutional authority to regulate elections and that efforts to remove individuals from voter rolls were unconstitutional.

Friday’s appeals court decision marks a temporary victory for the Trump administration, which has sought to restrict mail-in voting practices often cited by President Trump and his allies as vulnerable to fraud, despite a lack of supporting evidence.

Sources