Judge blocks Trump’s order aimed at using USPS to restrict mail

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked ⁠the US Postal ⁠Service ​(USPS) from implementing part of Donald Trump’s executive order that aims ⁠to tighten rules for mail-in voting ahead of November midterm elections that ⁠will decide control of Congress.

The ruling by ​US district ‌judge Indira ‌Talwani in Boston in effect expanded on an ‌earlier order she had issued in June that had prevented Trump’s administration from implementing it in 23 mostly Democratic-led states.

Several voting rights groups had ‌urged her to go further and prevent USPS from implementing anywhere ​in the nation a proposed rule requiring states to provide lists of voters and adopt new balloting procedures before ⁠the mail agency would make deliveries.

If states ​did ​not comply, USPS ​would have refused to deliver ​the ballots. The ‌plaintiffs had ​contended ​USPS would have no legal basis for such a refusal.