Supreme Court’s Procedural Ruling Doesn’t Change Voters’ Ability to Vote By Mail
August 25, 2026
Statement on Supreme Court Ruling in California v. Trump
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following is a statement responding to the Supreme Court’s decision to side with the administration’s attempt to revive mail-in voting restrictions that would force states to overhaul election systems just weeks before ballots are sent. Because a separate injunction remains in place, today’s ruling does not immediately change any voter’s ability to cast a mail ballot this November.
“It’s important to note that today’s decision does not put in place any new voting restrictions but, it is still deeply troubling that the court would even consider allowing a president to direct the Postal Service to impose such a radical overhaul of the absentee ballot system just weeks before Election Day. The president lacks the authority to make those changes, and doing so would create unprecedented chaos for election administrators and risk disenfranchising voters across the country,” said Tianna Mays, legal director at Democracy Defenders Fund. “We, and countless other advocates and members of the legal community, will continue to challenge the president’s efforts to usurp powers that the Constitution expressly reserves to the states, setting a dangerous precedent that threatens the fundamental balance of our federal system and the separation of powers, with potentially lasting consequences for our constitutional structure.”
Earlier this month, DDF, Campaign Legal Center, and Platkin LLP filed an amicus brief on behalf of 56 state and federal judges, urging the Supreme Court to reject the administration’s emergency attempt to overhaul state election systems just weeks before mail-in ballots are sent.
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Democracy Defenders Fund brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundations of our democracy.
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