The states have demonstrated that the defendants are involved in a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service. They have also demonstrated that this attack on the Postal Service is likely to irreparably harm the states’ ability to administer the 2020 general election
-- Stanley A. Bastian, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
Key Points
- Washington and 13 other sstates filed the suit.
- Trump and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy were named as defendands in the suit.
- USPS was already set to scrap 671 sorting machines when DeJoy took over.
- Dejoy's main change was stricter dispatch schedule and limiting overtime, which has caused a massive backlog.
- Timely mailing and returning of ballots will be irreparably harmed by DeJoy's measures according to the ruling.
The USPS lawyers claimed that nothing unusual has been going on and that the only difference is the Postal Service communicating more openly about potential problems with states. But the judge saw enough evidence to make the striking claim that Trump is using the USPS for his own political purposes to hamper the election.
Links
Federal judge issues temporary injunction against USPS changes amid concerns about mail slowdowns — The Washington Post
The decision could cast the Postal Service into more tumult just as states have begun to send out mail ballots for the Nov. 3 election.