A federal judge in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Postal Service from implementing new rules related to mail voting, according to the California Attorney General's Office.
The court decision, issued following oral arguments on September 3, extends a temporary restraining order issued on August 27 that had initially blocked the changes for 14 days.
The USPS changes, mandated by President Trump's second executive order on elections, would require state and local election officials to redesign and reprint ballot envelopes. The rules would also require states to enroll millions of voters in a new USPS system and meet requirements that would allow the Postal Service to refuse delivery of mail ballots that do not comply.
In a recent court filing, the USPS acknowledged that the technology to implement the rule is not yet available. A whistleblower report cited by the coalition challenging the rules also warned of "potentially catastrophic problems" and characterized the administration's efforts as "sloppy and rushed."
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with attorneys general from Massachusetts, Nevada, and Washington, co-led the coalition in filing the lawsuit on August 26. They were joined by attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as the Governor of Pennsylvania.