A coalition of civil rights and public interest groups filed an urgent motion in federal court today to block the U.S. Postal Service from implementing a new rule that could halt the delivery of mail-in ballots to voters.
The Legal Defense Fund, the NAACP, and the Public Citizen Litigation Group filed the motion, arguing that the proposed rule directly violates a 2021 federal court settlement. Under that previous agreement, which runs through 2028, the USPS legally committed to prioritizing the timely delivery of election mail to all voters without exception.
The dispute stems from a proposed rule published by the USPS on June 2, acting under a March 31 Executive Order issued by President Trump. The new rule would establish a gatekeeping function, allowing the Postal Service to refuse to deliver mail-in ballots if state or local election officials fail to provide specific information or use a designated envelope design.
The groups are asking the court to enforce the original settlement on an expedited basis, warning that the sudden change is creating chaos and threatens to disenfranchise millions of voters during the ongoing 2026 election season.
Civil rights leaders strongly criticized the administration’s directive.
“Voting is fundamental to democracy. That this Administration would direct USPS to adopt measures to impede voters from casting their ballots is shameful,” said Allison Zieve, director of Public Citizen Litigation Group. “And that USPS would allow itself to be used for political purposes to advance the President’s irrational objection to mail-in voting is disgraceful, unlawful, and contrary to the commitments it made to settle our litigation.”
Sam Spital, Associate Director-Counsel of the Legal Defense Fund, stated that the rule targets the 2021 agreement and harms minority communities.
“The Proposed Rule manifests USPS’s intent to disregard its commitment to timely deliver mail-in ballots to all voters,” Spital said. “This all is part of a coordinated effort by this Administration to create chaos and confusion in our elections, which creates particular dangers for Black voters who are already at the greatest risk of suffering discrimination in voting. The attempt to usurp the right of eligible voters to cast mail-in ballots is directly contrary to the legally enforceable agreement the parties reached in this case, and to USPS’s obligations under federal law. We are confident it will be rejected by the courts.”
The original lawsuit, NAACP v. United States Postal Service, was filed after the 2020 election over fears that USPS operational changes were delaying mail-in ballots. The resulting December 2021 settlement required extensive internal training for postal workers and required months of pre-election coordination with local officials to streamline ballot delivery.
The plaintiffs argue that disrupting this established system halfway through an active election year will derail those preparations and jeopardize ballot security.
“The right to vote should never be subject to arbitrary barriers or last-minute rule changes that create confusion and suppress participation,” said Anthony P. Ashton, Senior Associate General Counsel for the NAACP. “These proposed rules directly undermine commitments that the Postal Service made to ensure mail-in ballots are delivered and counted. At a time when voters across the country rely on the Postal Service to exercise their right to vote, any effort to restrict that right is not only unlawful — it is a threat to our democracy. The NAACP will continue to take decisive legal action to ensure that every eligible voter can cast their ballot and have it counted.”
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