Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
U.S. Postal Service Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testifies on Capitol Hill in August. Photo: Tom Brenner-Pool/Getty Images
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Sunday ruled in favor of several states and ordered the U.S. Postal Service to halt operational changes before November's presidential election.
Why it matters: U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan's preliminary injunction in the case filed by the states of New York, Hawaii and New Jersey, along with the cities of New York and San Francisco, is the third ruling against the USPS and the Trump administration on the matter that's been blamed for nationwide mail delivery delays.
Driving the news: Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said in August he would halt planned USPS changes until after the election to "avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail," following widespread delivery delays and backlogs, but some changes "remained in place" after his pledge, per AP.
What they're saying: "It is clearly in the public interest to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, to ensure safe alternatives to in-person voting, and to require that the USPS comply with the law," wrote Sullivan, who is overseeing several related suits, in an opinion obtained by the Washington Post.
- USPS spokesperson Dave Partenheimer said after the first judge's ruling, "While we are exploring our legal options, there should be no doubt that the Postal Service is ready and committed to handle whatever volume of election mail it receives."
- Lee Moak, a Democratic appointee to the USPS board of governors and election mail committee chair, added: "Any suggestion that there is a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service is completely and utterly without merit."
New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal posted two pages of the order to Twitter: