Nichols blocks the ballot-mail rule as beyond the Postal Service’s authority
Carl J. NicholsU.S. district judge for the District of Columbia, granting preliminary injunctions
Judge Carl J. Nichols granted preliminary injunctions against the USPS ballot-mail rule, finding that its central provisions exceeded the Postal Service’s statutory authority and that allowing it to operate risked ballots going uncounted in the coming election.
“The key portions of the Rule exceed any conception of the outer bounds of these authorities.” … “Plaintiffs have demonstrated that, absent an injunction, there is an increased risk that a significant number of otherwise appropriate absentee or mail-in ballots will ultimately not be counted in the upcoming elections. … The public has a strong interest in ensuring that doesn’t happen.”
Original text
Where this statement fits
Should Trump’s new mail-in voting restrictions apply to the 2026 midterms?
USPS’s new federal ballot-mail rule requires election officials to meet envelope standards, enroll voters through a federal portal and submit outgoing ballots for verification. The Trump administration argues these are lawful anti-fraud postal controls. Challenging states and civil-rights organizations say USPS is intruding into state-run elections and that the late rollout threatens voters’ access. On September 14, the Supreme Court left a temporary block in place for the 2026 election. Alito and Thomas would have allowed enforcement; Kavanaugh objected to applying the rule this year.
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Original text
About this source
The signed 24-page opinion of Judge Carl J. Nichols, in consolidated actions DSCC v. Trump (26-cv-01114) and League of United Latin American Citizens v. Executive Office of the President (26-cv-01132), with NAACP plaintiffs also joined. It is a second, separate injunction from the Massachusetts case already recorded in this case. The court granted the LULAC and NAACP motions in full and the DSCC motion in part.
Before the quotation
Nichols had denied an earlier motion in May on the ground that the claims were not yet ripe. The plaintiffs renewed their motions after the final rule issued on August 21, 2026.
After the quotation
The court granted the LULAC and NAACP motions in full and the DSCC motion in part. A separate injunction from the District of Massachusetts was before the Supreme Court at the same time, and the Supreme Court denied a stay in that case the following day.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to implementing and enforcing the mandatory USPS ballot-mail requirements for the November 2026 election, Nichols blocks that implementation and holds the plaintiffs likely to succeed in showing the rule was issued beyond the agency’s power. This is a judicial ruling, not a political statement, and it decides likelihood of success rather than finally resolving the rule’s lawfulness.
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The Dispute Index. "Nichols blocks the ballot-mail rule as beyond the Postal Service’s authority". First published: 2026-09-16. Last updated: 2026-09-16. https://disputeindex.com/events/709-judge-carl-j-nichols-granted-preliminary-injunctions-against