President Donald Trump is sharply criticizing the Supreme Court after the justices declined to allow new U.S. Postal Service rules governing mail-in ballots to take effect ahead of November’s midterm elections.

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The Court on Monday rejected the administration’s request to lift a lower-court injunction against the rules, effectively preserving existing mail-voting procedures while litigation continues. The Supreme Court said the government was unlikely to prevail in its challenge to the injunction and that the factors governing emergency relief did not favor allowing the regulations to take effect now.

The Postal Service finalized the new regulations in August as part of the administration’s effort to change how ballots are distributed through the mail. Among other requirements, states would have to use ballot envelopes containing specialized features, including a unique voter barcode, and submit basic voter information through a Postal Service portal. Mailings that did not comply could be returned to state election officials rather than delivered to voters.

Supporters of the changes have presented them as safeguards intended to strengthen the integrity and accountability of mail voting. Opponents, including Democratic-led states and voting-rights organizations, challenged the regulations, arguing that the federal government was exceeding its authority and that implementing sweeping new requirements so close to Election Day could interfere with legitimate voting.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who joined the majority in denying the administration’s request, wrote separately that there was at least a “fair prospect” the Postal Service ultimately has statutory authority to impose the regulations. However, he concluded that implementing them during the 2026 election would violate federal administrative law because state and local election officials had not been given enough time to comply.

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented, saying they would have allowed the rules to take effect. The remaining justices, including all three of President Trump’s Supreme Court appointees—Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett—did not vote to lift the injunction.

President Trump responded Tuesday with a blistering criticism of the decision, arguing that the courts had taken too long to resolve the dispute and then cited the approaching election as a reason not to permit the changes.

“Republicans just got another bad decision from the United States Supreme Court, one that the Court System took forever to give, and then blamed it, in part, on no time left to implement a solution to our totally CORRUPT and out of control Mail-In voting ‘disaster,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The President praised Thomas and Alito for dissenting and broadened his criticism to other recent Supreme Court decisions that have gone against his administration.

“The Court’s inability and unwillingness to do the right thing for our Country will go down, in a very negative way, in the annals of History,” Trump wrote. “These are not the people I interviewed to serve on the United States Supreme Court.”

The ruling comes with the November 3 midterms rapidly approaching and mail ballots already being distributed in some states. The Court’s action does not necessarily settle the broader question of whether the Postal Service has authority to impose such requirements in future elections. Kavanaugh’s concurrence specifically leaves that question open. For 2026, however, the new requirements will remain blocked as the litigation proceeds.

The dispute highlights a continuing national battle over who controls election procedures and what safeguards may legally be imposed on mail voting. States traditionally administer elections under authority granted by the Constitution and federal law, while the administration argues that the Postal Service also has authority over the mail it handles. With millions of Americans expected to vote by mail this fall, the outcome of the underlying litigation could have implications beyond this year’s midterms.

For intercessors, this is another reminder to pray for integrity, wisdom, and clarity throughout the election process. Let’s pray that legitimate votes are protected, that election laws are faithfully followed, and that judges and election officials make decisions consistent with the Constitution and the law.

Share your prayers for integrity in America’s elections below.

(Photo Credit: Official White House Photo by Patrick B. Ruddy)