The Supreme Court blocked President Trump's effort to restrict mail-in voting in a brief ruling issued less than two months before Election Day. The decision saw a majority of justices siding against the president, with only Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas supporting him. Amna Nawaz discussed the ruling with Amy Howe, a Supreme Court analyst and co-founder of SCOTUSblog.
The unsigned order did not provide much detail on the justices' positions. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote a concurring opinion, stating that while the Postal Service has the authority to implement such rules, it is too close to the election for them to proceed now. This opinion suggests that the administration may have a chance to revisit the issue with more time before future elections.
Kavanaugh noted that there is a fair prospect for the administration to win on appeal, while Alito and Thomas indicated that the Postal Service has broad authority to issue rules, suggesting that challengers may not succeed in an appeal.
Trump expressed strong discontent with the ruling, posting multiple comments criticizing the justices. He stated, "This Supreme Court is bullied and cajoled by the radical left into making decisions that have set America back at least 100 years. These are not the people I interviewed to serve on the United States Supreme Court. They are merely a shell of their original selves."
The Supreme Court has previously sided with Trump on issues such as immigration and the firing of agency officials, but has ruled against him on matters like birthright citizenship. Howe noted that Trump's reaction to this ruling reflects his personal investment in issues like mail-in voting, which he has claimed without evidence to be susceptible to fraud. The justices, including Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan, have previously testified about threats to the judiciary and requested increased security funding.
Amna Nawaz serves as co-anchor and co-managing editor of PBS NewsHour.