President Donald Trump sharply attacked the Supreme Court on Tuesday after the justices refused to let his administration impose new restrictions on mail voting before the November midterm elections, singling out several of his own appointees and accusing the court of failing the country.
The court on Monday left in place a lower-court order blocking a U.S. Postal Service rule that would have required states to submit lists of eligible mail voters, use federally approved ballot envelopes and comply with other new requirements before ballots could be delivered. The ruling means existing mail-voting procedures will remain in place for the midterms.
In a lengthy Truth Social post Tuesday, Trump called the decision "another bad decision" and renewed his longstanding criticism of voting by mail. He praised Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, the two dissenters, as "legends."
Trump reserved some of his harshest criticism for other members of the court's conservative majority. Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett were all appointed by Trump during his first term.
"These are not the people I interviewed to serve on the United States Supreme Court, they are merely a shell of their original selves," Trump wrote.
The court's unsigned order didn't provide a full explanation for rejecting the administration's request. Kavanaugh wrote separately that there was "at least a fair prospect" the Postal Service had legal authority to adopt some of the rules, but said imposing them so close to the election would be arbitrary because states and local election offices lacked enough time to comply.
Election officials had warned that implementing the changes weeks before Election Day would create major logistical problems. Some states have already begun mailing ballots, and roughly one-third of U.S. voters use mail ballots.
The dispute grew out of a March executive order from Trump and subsequent Postal Service rules adopted in August. Lower-court judges in separate cases blocked the policy, concluding that parts of it likely exceeded the Postal Service's statutory authority and could make it harder for eligible voters to cast ballots.
Trump broadened his attack Tuesday beyond the mail-ballot case, criticizing the court over other decisions affecting his administration. "The Supreme Court has really let our Country down!" he wrote, accusing some justices of lacking the courage to support his agenda.
"The Court's inability and unwillingness to do the right thing for our Country will go down, in a very negative way, in the annals of History," Trump wrote.
The president also said the court's rulings were inflicting enormous economic damage and complained that decisions involving his tariff program and other policies had constrained his administration.
