美最高法院驳回特朗普政府紧急请求 维持邮政署邮寄选票新规禁令Supreme Court Rejects Trump Bid to Enforce Postal Service Mail Ballot Restrictions

美国最高法院周一晚间驳回了特朗普政府关于暂缓执行波士顿联邦地区法院禁令的紧急申请，从而维持了禁止美国邮政署在11月中期选举前实施邮寄选票新规的司法裁决。最高法院在未署名命令中认定，联邦政府在针对初审法院初步禁令的实体诉求上不大可能胜诉。这一裁定意味着，邮政署上月晚些时候最终确定的相关规程在后续法律诉讼审理期间将继续处于搁置状态。

The US Supreme Court on Monday night turned down an emergency application from the Trump administration seeking to lift a preliminary injunction issued by a Boston federal district court, keeping on hold the Postal Service's contested mail-in voting regulations. In its brief unsigned order, the high court determined that the federal government was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its challenge against the nationwide injunction. The decision ensures that the Postal Service's requirements, which were finalized by the agency late last month, will remain blocked from taking effect while underlying legal challenges proceed through the judicial system.

在此次紧急申请中，联邦副总检察长D·约翰·索尔代表政府向大法官辩称，推行新规是应对邮寄投票欺诈风险所必需的措施，并称此类欺诈会削弱公众对选举公正性的信心。然而，最高法院多数意见选择在紧急审理程序中不予全面背书，仅裁定当前不具备解除禁令的条件。由于共和党在参众两院仅维持微弱多数席位，该裁决阻止了在距中期选举投票日不到两个月的时间内对全国邮寄选票分发流程施加新的联邦审查限制。

Solicitor General D. John Sauer had urged the justices to intervene, arguing on behalf of the administration that the measures were necessary to combat potential fraud in mail-in balloting that could dilute lawful votes. However, the court's majority declined to clear the new policies for the upcoming congressional contests, which will determine control of both chambers where Republicans hold slim majorities. By refusing to lift the judicial block less than two months before Election Day, the Supreme Court prevented the immediate implementation of nationwide screening standards on postal ballots.

在最高法院内部，保守派大法官对邮政署规程的法律效力与实施时机展现出不同立场。由特朗普任命的大法官布雷特·卡瓦诺选择支持多数意见，并在单独撰写的声明中指出，尽管最终规程有相当大的可能属于邮政署的法定职权范围，但在2026年中期选举中强制执行将构成《行政程序法》所禁止的任意与反复无常行为，原因在于州和地方选举官员根本没有足够的时间在选举前合理落实这些新要求。

The Supreme Court's ruling revealed distinct divisions among its conservative members regarding the legality and timing of the Postal Service regulations. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a Trump appointee, sided with the majority to deny the stay, explaining in a separate statement that while the final rule has a fair prospect of falling within the Postal Service's statutory authority, enforcing it for the 2026 midterms would be arbitrary and capricious in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act because state and local election officials lack sufficient time to reasonably implement the overhaul.

卡瓦诺的协同意见同时暗示，若未来选举中再次面临相关审查，该限制措施仍可能获得司法支持。与此相对，保守派大法官塞缪尔·阿利托和克拉伦斯·托马斯公开表示异议，认为起诉的各州不大可能证明该政策违法。阿利托在异议书中主张邮政署拥有监管邮件的广泛法定权力，并指出部分原告缺乏起诉资格，而其余原告提出的主张在法律上难以成立。

Kavanaugh's concurrence indicated that the administration might ultimately prevail if the policy is revisited for future election cycles. In contrast, conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas publicly dissented, arguing that the challenging states are unlikely to prove the rules unlawful. Alito wrote in his dissent that the Postal Service possesses broad statutory authority to regulate mail delivery, contending that some plaintiffs lacked legal standing while others relied on legal claims that failed to warrant emergency intervention.

这项引发司法争议的规程直接源于特朗普在2026年3月签署的行政命令，其核心目标是收紧针对全美邮寄投票的联邦监管要求。美国邮政署根据该政令在8月下旬最终确立了一套全新的选票投递标准。按照规定，各州必须全面统一邮寄选票信封的设计样式，并强制印制唯一的条形码，以便邮政系统对选票流转实施全流程追踪与技术审查。

The disputed regulations originated directly from an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in March 2026, which aimed to tighten federal oversight of mail-in balloting nationwide. Acting under that presidential directive, the US Postal Service finalized a comprehensive set of delivery rules in late August. Under these standards, states were obligated to adopt a uniform envelope format incorporating unique barcodes, designed to enable federal tracking and technical verification throughout the postal network.

除信封硬件标准外，新规还强制要求各州与地方选举部门向邮政署提交有资格获取邮寄选票的选民完整名单。这一机制赋予了邮政系统实质性的筛查与拦截权力，允许其直接拒绝寄递任何未采用合规信封设计或未列入官方选民清单的选票。尽管白宫方面主张该机制能够防范选举欺诈，但这一改变对长期依靠既有投递体系运作的各州选举系统构成了重大的操作规程调整。

Beyond physical design specifications, the rule required state and local election officials to compile and submit lists of eligible mail ballot recipients to the Postal Service. This framework established an administrative screening mechanism granting postal authorities the power to inspect ballot envelopes and refuse delivery for any items failing to meet the required design standards or omitted from state-provided recipient rosters. While the administration described the protocol as a safeguard against potential fraud, the mandates represented a major procedural shift for established state election systems.

在最高法院作出裁决之际，全美范围内的选票发放工作已经实质性展开。过去一周内，阿拉巴马州、北卡罗来纳州和威斯康星州等多个州已相继向选民寄送邮寄选票。民主党州官员和投票权团体在诉讼中强调，邮寄投票目前占全美投票总量的近三分之一，在包括加利福尼亚州、华盛顿州和俄勒冈州在内的八个全邮寄投票州以及华盛顿特区，新规的临时推行将对既有选举秩序造成极大的干扰。

The Supreme Court's ruling arrives as ballot distribution is already actively underway across the United States. Over the past week, election administrators in states including Alabama, North Carolina, and Wisconsin began mailing ballots to registered voters. Democratic state officials and voting rights advocates emphasized in their legal filings that mail-in voting currently accounts for roughly one-third of all votes cast nationwide, noting that an abrupt enforcement of federal screening mandates would be especially disruptive in Washington, Oregon, and six other states that conduct elections entirely by post.

起诉方与地方选举官员向法庭辩称，在选举临近时全面重构选票投递标准在操作上不可行，并指出一份举报人报告警告称邮政系统的数字端口尚未妥善构建，极易出现技术故障，可能导致数百万张选票无法寄达。随着最高法院维持下级法院禁令，各州得以继续沿用现行规程推进中期选举投票，避免了数以万计乃至数百万合法选票因信封格式或系统筛查受阻的风险。

Challengers and local election workers warned that overhauling postal requirements on the eve of a major election was operationally impossible. They cited a whistleblower report alleging that the Postal Service's technical portal was not properly constructed and vulnerable to software glitches that could leave millions of ballots undelivered. By upholding the preliminary injunction, the high court ensured that election authorities can proceed under their established distribution frameworks, averting the risk of widespread delivery disruptions ahead of November.