An anonymous employee of the US Postal Service claims to be working secretly on a system that could cause massive chaos during the US Midterm elections on November 3. ^[1] The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on September 4, 2026, to lift a temporary order by Judge Indira Talwani that blocked a new USPS rule restricting mail-in ballots. ^[2] The administration of US President Donald Trump filed an emergency request with the Supreme Court to suspend a lower court order that was blocking the implementation of new mail-in voting regulations. ^[3] Governor Gavin Newsom of California stated on September 1 that officials who challenge judicial orders to interfere with elections should face prison sentences. ^[4] The Supreme Court has not yet decided whether President Trump can issue such a decree or if there is enough time to implement it before the Midterms. ^[5] The Supreme Court lifted the preliminary injunction in late August, ruling only that it was issued too early because plaintiffs could not yet know exactly how the decree would be implemented. ^[6] Under the new system, the Postal Service would scan barcodes on bundles of 10,000 mail-in ballots sent by states; if a single envelope does not match voter lists, all 10,000 ballots would be held until the dispute is resolved. ^[7] Judge Indira Talwani issued a temporary order on August 27, 2026, blocking the rule for 14 days, finding it likely violates the US Constitution and is impossible for states to comply with given the rapidly approaching midterms. ^[8] The Supreme Court previously lifted an earlier injunction imposed by Judge Talwani in June on August 24, 2026, with a 6-3 conservative majority faulting a coalition of mostly Democratic-governed states for suing too soon. ^[9] Under the new rule, the USPS could refuse to send out ballots that do not comply with the new standards or are associated with voters who do not appear on the provided lists. ^[10] A US federal judge recently stopped the implementation of Trump's decree for 14 days, which prompted the administration to seek immediate intervention from the Supreme Court. ^[11] The Supreme Court previously ruled in favor of Trump in August by vacating a federal court order that had blocked his mail-in voting plans, but the decision was based on procedural grounds rather than the substantive legality of the plans. ^[12]