A Fourth Judge Issues Ruling Prohibiting Postal Services Cuts

On Monday, a fourth judge released a preliminary injunction preventing the U.S Postal Service from issuing service reductions before the November presidential election that can reportedly halt “timely ballot deliveries.”

In Pennsylvania, U.S. District Judge Gerald McHugh joined three other judges who also issued similar orders over the past two weeks after the Postal Service regulated “late trips by trucks and letter carriers and instituted overtime restrictions” in July.

Since September 17, judges in Washington State and New York have issued rulings forcing the Postal Service to treat election mail as first-class or priority mail express. Judge Emmet Sullivan in the District of Columbia issued a similar order to Judge McHugh on September 28.

Sullivan wrote that the Postal Service “knew that prohibiting these trips would result in delayed mail delivery.”

In August, U.S. Postmaster Louis DeJoy, a Trump donor, agreed to stop disputable operational charges through November 3 (Election Day). The judges have cited “Dejoy’s failure to submit the changes to the Postal Regulatory Commission for an advisory opinion as required,” according to Reuters.

Last week, the Postal Service said, “the Postal Service is ready and fully committed to handling expected increased volumes of Election Mail between now and the conclusion of the November 3rd election.”

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra stated on September 29 that operational changes had delayed the delivery of mail across America, while also condemning Donald Trump for his claims about the integrity mailed ballots.

“The court has spoken. It’s time for President Trump to follow the law and stop interfering with our mail,” Becerra said regarding the Pennsylvania ruling. He added DeJoy’s “changes put the sanctity of free and fair elections at risk across the country and have resulted in direct harms to the states and their residents.”