The United States Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump's initiative to impose sweeping restrictions on mail-in voting ahead of the midterm elections scheduled for November.
In a brief decision that did not detail the full legal reasoning, the justices upheld a lower court's injunction that had blocked implementation of new federal postal service regulations.
The petition was filed after a presidential executive order sought to require state authorities to meet new standards, including uniform envelope design and a mandate to transfer updated voter lists to an online system as a condition for mailing ballots.
A broad coalition of states and civil rights organizations opposed the move, arguing it constituted an improper attempt to interfere with election administration at an advanced stage when voting had already begun in some locations.
The Justice Department countered that the requirements were designed to ensure process security and prevent fraud. Nevertheless, the Court determined that the administration's position was legally weak at this stage, and that the balance of considerations did not support emergency intervention by the highest appellate court.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh clarified in a separate opinion that while the postal service may have basic regulatory authority to govern its handling of mail, implementing such a dramatic change in the midst of election season would create an unreasonable situation.
In a sharp dissent, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas argued that the administration should be allowed to enforce the rules, but their position was rejected. Civil rights activists and leaders of numerous states welcomed the ruling, which will allow hundreds of thousands of citizens to continue voting safely by mail without encountering unexpected administrative obstacles.
Trump responded furiously to the decision in an unusually lengthy post he published on his social media platform:
"Republicans have suffered another terrible decision from the Supreme Court of the United States, a decision that the lower courts dragged out for a long time before it was issued. Then, the Court blamed the fact that there is not enough time to implement a solution to the corrupt and exceptionally out-of-control mail-in voting disaster, which is a mockery and disgrace throughout the world.
The United States is the only country that has to suffer such nation-destroying fraud. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, both true legends, sharply dissented from this terrible and political ruling which constitutes a major loss for Republicans and America itself.
The decision makes it very easy for the radical left to commit fraud with mail-in votes, and now they have a free hand to do so. The Supreme Court has truly and honestly disappointed our country, and certain justices are intimidated and terrified of these crazy Democrats and completely lack courage.
Their terrible decision on tariffs will cost the United States trillions of dollars over the years, and without even determining that money paid does not have to be returned. The situation benefits entities that truly hate America and have been plundering it for years, and causes unnecessary costs of billions of dollars immediately.
The decision on birthright citizenship is also an absolute disaster for America, which has already led to massive corruption regarding citizenship in the country. The damage done to America is immeasurable, and they know it well just like everyone else, this is irreversible and irreparable damage.
The Court's inability and unwillingness to do the right thing for the country will be recorded in the most negative way in the annals of history. The Supreme Court is being bullied and lobbied by the radical left to make decisions that set America back at least a hundred years.
These are not the people I interviewed to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, as they are only a shell of their original selves. The Court is costing the United States trillions of dollars through shockingly bad rulings, characterized by such broad scope that it is difficult for the country to recover.
This is a Court that will be recorded in history as having issued the most destructive, harmful and damaging decisions in the nation's history. It is not easy for me to write this criticism of the Supreme Court, and it will probably cost me dearly for years.
I feel it is my duty and role as president to do so for the sake of beloved America, and I thank the public for their attention to this important matter."
