Federal Judge Issues Nationwide Injunction Blocking Postmaster General's Unlawful Policies Delaying Mail

LANSING — A federal judge in Yakima, Washington, today granted a request from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and a coalition of states for a nationwide injunction forcing the U.S. Postal Service to immediately halt drastic operational changes.

Judge Stanley A. Bastian will issue a detailed written order later today. In its motion for a preliminary injunction, the coalition of states asked the judge to order the Postal Service to:

• Immediately stop its “leave mail behind” policy, where postal trucks are required to leave at specified times, regardless if there is mail still to be loaded;
• Continue its longstanding practice of treating all election mail as First Class mail, regardless of the paid postage;
• Replace, reassemble or reconnect any removed mail-sorting machines that are needed to ensure timely processing and delivery of election mail; and
• Abide by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s public commitment to suspend the recent policy changes that have affected mail service until after the election.

The judge said his order would substantially follow the coalition’s motion.

"Today’s decision is a significant step toward ensuring our upcoming elections are not tainted by the political motivations of Postmaster General DeJoy,” Nessel said. “I am pleased with the Court’s decision and will work with my colleagues to make sure the U.S. Postal Service follows through on the Court’s orders and that other agencies and individuals do not take actions to compromise the security of our elections.”

Case background

Attorney General Nessel joined a coalition of 14 states led by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson that filed a lawsuit over the changes to the Postal Service on Aug. 18. The coalition includes battleground states, including Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin. The Postal Service changes, including eliminating or reducing staff overtime, halting outgoing mail processing at state distribution centers and removing critical mail sorting equipment, threaten the timely delivery of mail to millions of Americans who rely on the Postal Service for everything from medical prescriptions to ballots.

The coalition filed its motion on Sept. 9 for a preliminary injunction, which Judge Bastian granted today (PDF).

The lawsuit asserts that the postmaster general unlawfully implemented drastic changes to mail service, and seeks to stop the service reductions. Immediately after the lawsuit was filed, the postmaster general made public commitments that he would halt some — but not all — of those changes. Since that time, mail delays continue, and questions remain about what changes are still in effect.

The changes at the Postal Service come as President Donald Trump continues to claim without evidence that widespread vote-by-mail will lead to a fraudulent election. Washington state, for example, has allowed elections to be conducted completely by mail-in ballot since 2005, and mandated the practice statewide in 2011. The state has not experienced voter fraud at any significant level.

Changes impact seniors, veterans

The Postal Service changes have impacted more than mail-in elections. They also impair critical mail services that many seniors and veterans rely upon.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many Americans, especially seniors and other high-risk individuals, to rely increasingly on mail delivery services while they stay at home for their health. In general, seniors rely heavily on the mail to receive essentials like medications, Social Security benefits and even groceries.

The policy changes have already impacted our country’s veterans, who are reporting much longer wait times to receive mail-order prescription drugs. The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), which provides broad health care services to veterans nationwide, fills about 80 percent of veteran prescriptions by mail. The VA processes about 120 million mail-order prescriptions per year — 470,000 a day. The Postal Service makes daily prescription deliveries to 330,000 veterans across the country.

Impacts of “leave mail behind” policy

Bastian’s ruling puts a stop to DeJoy’s “leave mail behind” policy. According to the policy, Postal Service trucks are required to leave sorting facilities at specified times each day, even if there is still mail to be loaded. As a result, mail that is supposed to be delivered on a certain day has been left to pile up at sorting facilities for delivery at some future date. The states’ motion noted there have been reports of trucks leaving sorting facilities empty because of the policy.

Internal documents from the Postal Service foresaw that this change would cause delays. Though it predicted that the delays would diminish after operational efficiency increased, DeJoy himself acknowledged that did not happen. During congressional testimony, the postmaster general admitted that his “leave behind” policy significantly contributed to slow-downs in First Class mail delivery over the summer.

Changes impact vote-by-mail elections

Across the country, record numbers of American residents are requesting absentee ballots in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For example, in Wisconsin, around 2 million voters are expected to request an absentee ballot and vote by mail. In June, the Postal Service shut down four sorting machines used at its distribution center in downtown Milwaukee, and planned to remove three more before DeJoy temporarily suspended the removal of sorting machines. Staff shortages have cut the number of employees running each sorting machine in half. Election officials in Wisconsin now report that election mail takes about a week to arrive to voters in Madison, whereas the delivery standard for First Class mail is two-to-three days within the continental U.S.

These delays greatly increase the likelihood that mailed-in votes will miss election deadlines and threaten to disenfranchise a large swath of voters, particularly those most vulnerable to COVID-19 who cannot vote in person without risking exposure to the virus. While some states count ballots that are postmarked by Election Day, even if they arrive after, other states require that ballots be received on or before Election Day to be counted.

Michigan joins Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia Washington, and Wisconsin in this lawsuit.

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