WASHINGTON – The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the NAACP, Common Cause, and Black Voters Matter filed new claims in federal court today in their lawsuit against the president’s executive order on mail-in voting. The new filing challenges a rule issued recently by the United States Postal Service (USPS) imposing new, illegal restrictions on mail-in voting.
The new rule will disrupt mail voting, override state election laws, and could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters—including Black voters and other voters of color, seniors, rural residents, voters with disabilities, and military personnel overseas—just months before the November election.
“These mail-in ballot restrictions threaten to disenfranchise millions of eligible voters who rely on mail voting to participate in our democracy while balancing work, caregiving responsibilities, disabilities, and other realities of daily life. The Trump administration is trying to limit access to the ballot, sow confusion at the polls and to use the ensuing chaos as an excuse to exert power over agencies and processes in a politicized way,” said Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “We will not let this or any administration further undermine our democratic process. We will fight to ensure our elections are free and fair, and that eligible voters are not shut out—especially Black voters and other voters of color, who are frequently targeted by voter suppression schemes.”
“Our democracy is under attack. No federal entity should be allowed to implement last-minute rules that disenfranchise voters and override state election laws. This new USPS rule is a direct assault on the fundamental freedoms of millions of Americans—particularly Black voters, communities of color, seniors, military members, and rural residents—just weeks before a critical election,” said Derrick Johnson, NAACP president and CEO. “We will not stand idly by while the voices of the people are silenced. We must protect every eligible citizen’s right to cast their ballot.”
“Mail-in voting is so safe that even the president has used it twice this year,” said Virginia Kase Solomón, Common Cause president and CEO. “The Postal Service exists to deliver our mail, not to be weaponized by this administration to silence voters.Common Cause will keep fighting to protect a democracy where people choose their leaders—not the other way around.”
“Mail-in voting gives people the freedom and flexibility to participate in our democracy, and we should be honest about what these efforts to restrict it are really doing: creating barriers to the ballot under the guise of election security. We are not fooled. This is the same old playbook—manufacture confusion, create unnecessary hurdles, and chip away at voting access,” said Cliff Albright and LaTosha Brown, co-founders of Black Voters Matter Fund. “When the same politicians who defend their own access to mail-in voting move to restrict that access for others, the hypocrisy is hard to ignore. We cannot allow voter suppression to be repackaged as voter protection or allow political interference to determine who gets to participate and whose voice counts. This is not about making democracy more secure; it is about reshaping who can fully participate in it. We will continue to call these efforts what they are and fight for every eligible voter’s freedom to make their voice heard.”
The coalitionoriginally challenged the administration’s executive order in April, but a federal judge paused the case because the postal restrictions weren’t active yet. Now that the USPS rule is final, the groups are updating their lawsuit to directly target these mail-in voting restrictions and ask the judge to put the rule on hold immediately.
The amended complaint argues that the Postal Service has no legal authority to regulate elections, and that its new rules threaten ballot access for millions of Americans, including military personnel serving overseas.
Voters with questions about the voting process should contact the Election Protection Hotline, which the Lawyers’ Committee convenes with partners, at 866-OUR-VOTE.
As explained in an amicus brief by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and other civil rights groups in a separate, now decided Supreme Court case on mail-in voting: “A study of the 2024 election found that, in 32 states, absentee voting accounted for approximately 31 percent of votes cast, with nearly 2 million Black voters, nearly 3 million Asian voters, and over 4 million Hispanic voters in those states relying on mail-in voting to participate in the election.”
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About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to mobilize the nation’s leading lawyers as agents for change in the Civil Rights Movement. Today, the Lawyers’ Committee uses legal advocacy to achieve racial justice, fighting inside and outside the courts to ensure that Black people and other people of color have the voice, opportunity, and power to make the promises of our democracy real.
About NAACP
The NAACP advocates, agitates, and litigates for the civil rights due to Black America. Our legacy is built on the foundation of grassroots activism by the biggest civil rights pioneers of the 20th century and is sustained by 21st century activists. From classrooms and courtrooms to city halls and Congress, our network of members across the country works to secure the social and political power that will end race-based discrimination. That work is rooted in racial equity, civic engagement, and supportive policies and institutions for all marginalized people. We are committed to a world without racism where Black people enjoy equitable opportunities in thriving communities.
NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund – also referred to as the NAACP-LDF – was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but now operates as a completely separate entity.
