Trump lashes out at Supreme Court justices after ballots ruling

President Donald Trump lashed out on Tuesday at the U.S. Supreme Court and his own judicial appointees following a decision by the high court to reject the administration’s request to implement new restrictions on mail-in voting ahead of the November midterm elections, according to Reuters. The unsigned court order leaves in place a lower-court injunction that blocks the U.S. Postal Service regulations from taking effect.

Supreme Court Declines to Lift Injunction on Postal Service Ballot Rules

The disputed Postal Service rules, adopted at the president’s direction, would have required states to provide voter-specific data and utilize agency-approved mail-ballot envelopes tracked by barcodes, while non-compliant mailings would be returned to election officials rather than delivered. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston previously put the changes on hold, ruling that they were likely unconstitutional and could prove impossible to execute in time for the elections, as reported by USA Today. The Supreme Court’s majority concluded that the administration was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its challenge and that the potential harm of letting the changes proceed outweighed pausing them.

US Supreme Court Rejects Trump Bid to Restrict Mail-In Ballots

Trump Condemns Court and Appointees Over Ruling

Writing on social media on Tuesday, Trump condemned the court’s action, stating, This Supreme Court is bullied and cajoled by the Radical Left into making decisions that have set America back at least a hundred years, as noted by Reuters. He further criticized the tribunal as a shell of their original selves and asserted that the ruling would go down as one of the most destructive in the country’s history.

Photo: foxnews.com

During his first presidential term, Trump appointed three conservative justices—Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett—establishing a 6-3 conservative majority. All three joined the majority in the mail-in ballot decision. Only conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas publicly dissented, prompting Trump to praise the pair as legends, both according to Reuters. U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters later that the Trump administration would comply with the decision.

Trump’s mail-in voting restrictions blocked by a second judge

Kavanaugh Concurs While Noting Implementation Timing

While the court’s primary order was brief and unsigned, Justice Brett Kavanaugh authored a concurring opinion indicating that although there was at least a fair prospect that the final rule falls within the Postal Service’s statutory authority, enforcing the new requirements so close to Election Day would be arbitrary and capricious in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act because state and local election officials do not have sufficient time to reasonably implement the rule before the elections, as detailed by Fox News.

Photo: Reuters

Supreme Court Blocks New USPS Mail Ballot Rules for 2026 Midterms

Trump used the occasion to revive broader grievances concerning prior high court setbacks, including a February ruling that struck down his sweeping global tariffs and a June decision against his attempt to restrict birthright citizenship, according to Reuters. With the emergency request denied, existing mail-voting procedures remain in place as states prepare for the upcoming November midterms that will decide control of Congress.