Latest News Updates From Erik Larson

A federal judge ordered Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to immediately begin authorizing more late delivery trips after an earlier injunction against the U.S. Postal Service’s disruptive operational changes failed to improve performance before the Nov. 3 election.

Delivery delays during an election can’t be unlawful, because the Constitution doesn’t guarantee states any particular level of service when it comes to mail-in ballots, the U.S. Postal Service told a federal judge.

A federal judge ordered the U.S. Postal Service to restore high-speed mail-sorting machines at any facilities that are unable to process first-class election mail quickly enough — a major concern for states as the postal agency continues to struggle with service performance.

States that claim changes by the U.S. Postal Service will threaten mail-in voting failed again to get an independent monitor appointed to observe the agency’s compliance with a court order.

The U.S. Postal Service still isn’t processing election mail on time, even after being ordered by judges to halt disruptive changes like banning worker overtime and late delivery trips, Pennsylvania’s attorney general said.

The delivery of election mail could be disrupted by operational changes arising from competing national court orders, the U.S. Postal Service warned.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told a judge that a court order directing the U.S. Postal Service to reinstate overtime to ensure speedy delivery of mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 election could be abused by workers.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told a judge the U.S. Postal Service can’t reassemble the hundreds of high speed mail-sorting machines that were taken apart this year, a project that more than a dozen states allege was intended to undermine the upcoming election.

The U.S. Postal Service settled a lawsuit brought by Colorado election officials over a mass-mailer about mail-in voting that a judge deemed “false,” agreeing to destroy cards that hadn’t been sent yet and work with the state on its election media campaign.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy was ordered by a court to halt operational changes at the U.S. Postal Service that triggered fear of a botched tally of mail-in ballots during the presidential election, Washington state’s attorney general said.