The Aporia · Alito, Thomas shred 'Hail Mary' challenge to federal ballot mail rules in dissent

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas expressed strong disagreement with a Supreme Court decision that denied the Trump administration’s request for relief from federal ballot mail rules. The dissent argues that the plaintiffs’ claims are unlikely to succeed, while Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed with rejecting the current application but suggested potential validity for future cases after more time for implementation.

Written by AI on 2026-09-15, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

Story summary

Postmaster General David Steiner announced that the U.S. Postal Service has halted work on a controversial computer system developed under President Donald Trump's executive order, aimed at limiting voting by mail. This decision follows Supreme Court rulings striking down the executive order and issuing injunctions against implementing it. The suspension was confirmed in an interview with The Associated Press, where Steiner, who previously worked as CEO of Waste Management, emphasized his agency’s role as independent from political directives despite navigating financial hardships and political turbulence caused by Trump's policies. Unlike Trump, who criticized the court decisions, Steiner avoided commenting on the rulings' merits or implications for voter eligibility ahead of critical midterm elections in November.

Written for “Trump Mail Voting Restrictions” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 46 other(s) covering the same event.

📰 Trump Mail Voting Restrictions

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This article reads unscored and hedges 15% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

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"But applying the rule in the 2026 elections would be arbitrary and capricious in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act because state and local election officials do not have sufficient time to reasonably implement the rule before the elections." Kavanaugh's concurrence echoes Alito's dissent in acknowledging the expansive authority the USPS holds to regulate the collection, handling, transportation and delivery of mail.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-15

🔮 "But applying the rule in the 2026 elections would be arbitrary and capricious in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act because state and local election officials do not have sufficient time to reasonably implement the rule before the elections." Kavanaugh's concurrence echoes Alito's dissent in acknowledging the expansive authority the USPS holds to regulate the collection, handling, transportation and delivery of mail.

2026-09-15 · Fox News

Alito, Thomas shred 'Hail Mary' challenge to federal ballot mail rules in dissent · assertive framing

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas firmly dissented Monday as the Supreme Court denied a request by President Donald Trump's administration for relief from a universal injunction against its mail-in ballot rules. asserted

Court → dissent → rules

The dissent, which Alito authored and Thomas joined, argued that the plaintiffs in the case were relying on claims that the court had previously identified as weak and unlikely to succeed. uncertain

court → author → that

"The Court incorrectly denies the Government’s application for a stay of a universal injunction that bars implementation of a final rule concerning election ballot mail," Alito wrote. asserted

Alito → deny → mail

"Some of the plaintiffs lack standing, while the remainder are pursuing a claim that this Court has recently called a ‘Hail Mary pass’ that ‘rarely succeeds.' uncertain

that → lack → claim

" "The Government has made the showings necessary for a stay, so I respectfully dissent," he concluded. asserted

he → make → stay

The Court's Monday's order went unsigned, but Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote a concurrence that allowed room for a potential Trump victory down the line. asserted

that → go → line

He nevertheless argued that it is too close to Election Day to realistically implement the rules for the 2026 midterm elections. asserted

it → argue → elections

"In my view, based on the briefing the Court has received at this interim stage, there is at least a fair prospect that the final rule falls within the Postal Service’s statutory authority," Kavanaugh wrote. asserted

Kavanaugh → base → authority

USPS → apply → mail

The Trump rules would require federal ballot mail to be sent in envelopes bearing an election-mail logo, capable of being scanned by high-speed equipment and carrying a barcode unique to each voter. asserted

mail → require → voter

State and local election officials would also be required to submit envelope designs to the Postal Service for review and upload basic voter information to an online USPS portal. asserted

officials → require → portal

Under the USPS rule, mailings that failed to comply would not be accepted and would instead be returned to election officials to correct and resubmit. asserted

that → fail → officials

Fox News' Stepheny Price and Shannon Bream contributed to this report. asserted

Price → contribute → report

Alito, Thomas shred 'Hail Mary' challenge to federal ballot mail rules in dissent

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