The Supreme Court on Monday denied an emergency request from the Trump administration and U.S. Postal Service to allow new ballot-mail requirements to take effect while litigation continues.
Source: N.M. Department of Justice
Photos: Courtesy
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Attorney General Raúl Torrez welcomed a U.S. Supreme Court decision leaving new federal restrictions on mail ballots blocked ahead of the November election.
The Supreme Court on Monday denied an emergency request from the Trump administration and U.S. Postal Service to allow new ballot-mail requirements to take effect while litigation continues.
The Postal Service rule would require mail ballots used in federal elections to meet several new requirements, including specialized barcodes and approved envelope designs. States would also be required to upload voter information to a Postal Service portal. Mailings that failed to comply could be rejected and returned to election officials.
A federal district court had issued a nationwide preliminary injunction preventing the rule from taking effect. In denying the government’s request to stay that injunction, the Supreme Court said the government was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its challenge and that the factors required for emergency relief did not favor allowing the rule to take effect.
Lujan Grisham characterized the decision as protecting equal access to voting.
“Today’s Supreme Court decision affirms a fundamental principle of a functioning democracy: voting shouldn’t be harder for some Americans than for others,” Lujan Grisham said.
She said the ruling means voters “of every ability, means, and zip code still get to have their say at the ballot box,” adding that New Mexico would continue pursuing “safe, secure, accessible elections.”
Torrez issued a separate statement through the New Mexico Department of Justice.
“The right to vote is a fundamental right protected by our Constitution and central to our democracy,” Torrez said. “As your Attorney General, I will continue to stand up for the American people and fight to preserve their ability to make their voices heard.”
Torrez added that his office would continue defending voting rights.
New Mexico was among a coalition of states that challenged the federal changes. In August, Torrez and attorneys general from other states secured a temporary restraining order blocking the Postal Service rule before the district court subsequently issued the preliminary injunction now left in place by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court’s action does not finally resolve whether the Postal Service has authority to impose such requirements in future elections.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who concurred with the decision to deny emergency relief, wrote that there was at least a reasonable prospect that the rule falls within the Postal Service’s statutory authority. He concluded, however, that applying it during the 2026 elections would violate the Administrative Procedure Act because state and local election officials do not have sufficient time to reasonably implement the changes.
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, arguing that the government had met the requirements necessary for the Court to allow the rule to take effect while the case proceeds.
For the 2026 election, the practical result is that the new Postal Service requirements remain blocked and states can continue operating their existing mail-ballot systems while the underlying litigation continues.
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