California’s voter rolls could soon come under renewed federal scrutiny after a federal appeals court handed the US Postal Service a temporary victory in its effort to move forward with a proposed election-mail rule supporters say is designed to strengthen election integrity.
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Friday granted the Postal Service’s motion for a stay pending appeal, temporarily lifting a lower court’s injunction and allowing the agency to continue advancing the proposal while the legal fight continues.
According to SCOTUS Wire, the proposed rule would require states to provide voter registration lists and serialized ballot barcodes before the Postal Service mails federal election ballots.
US Attorney Bill Essayli said the ruling could have significant consequences for states such as California.
“This ruling is a win for election integrity and would have significant implications for states like California that refuse to submit their voter rolls to verify compliance with federal election laws,” he wrote on X.
The appeals court’s order does not resolve the underlying lawsuit but temporarily allows the Postal Service to move forward with the proposal while the case is reviewed.
Court documents identify the case as National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. United States Postal Service and Louis DeJoy, No. 26-5257, before the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
In its two-page order, the three-judge panel concluded the Postal Service met the legal standard for a stay pending appeal, clearing the way for the proposed election-mail rule to proceed as the litigation moves forward.
