Carl J. Nichols
Role at the time: U.S. district judge for the District of Columbia, granting preliminary injunctions
Statement summary
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.”
Why we used 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.