Trump Seeks Supreme Court Review of Mail-In Voting Order

President Donald Trump’s administration is pressing the Supreme Court to lift a lower court block on an executive order that would restrict mail in voting nationwide ahead of the November midterms. The move comes as the U.S. Postal Service prepares to station additional armed security contractors at 18 mail processing facilities, a step that some scholars view as tied to enforcement of the same order.

The March executive order directed the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to assemble lists of eligible voters for each state. It also instructed the Postal Service to stop delivering absentee ballots to individuals not appearing on those lists. Democratic officials in 23 states and the District of Columbia sued, arguing the directive exceeds presidential authority and interferes with state election administration. A federal judge in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction last month covering those jurisdictions, and an appeals court panel declined to stay the ruling.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer filed an emergency application Monday asking the Supreme Court to permit enforcement while litigation continues. The filing contends the district court acted prematurely because the affected agencies have not yet issued final implementing rules. Postal Service officials proposed regulatory changes in June to align with the order, but those steps remain incomplete.

Separately, internal USPS communications show the agency has approved more than 12,000 hours per week of contracted armed security at the 18 facilities. The expansion adds tens of millions of dollars in annual costs at a time when the Postal Service reported a $2 billion net loss in its most recent quarter. James O’Rourke, an emeritus professor at Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business who studies the agency, described the hiring pattern as similar to the use of private security by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and said it reflects White House pressure on postal operations.

The Supreme Court ruled last month that states may continue counting mail ballots postmarked by Election Day, a decision that limited one avenue for stricter federal control. Trump has continued to seek judicial relief that would give the Postal Service greater discretion over who receives ballots.

Parallel legislative efforts have encountered resistance on Capitol Hill. Trump has urged Senate Republicans to advance the SAVE America Act, which would impose nationwide voter identification and citizenship verification requirements. Majority Leader John Thune has acknowledged insufficient support to end the filibuster or attach the provisions to a budget resolution. Several Republican senators, including Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and retiring Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, have signaled opposition or skepticism that the votes exist.

The combined actions illustrate the administration’s strategy of using executive directives, agency resources and litigation to shape election procedures before the midterms. Legal challenges are expected to determine whether the executive order can take effect in time for November balloting.