A federal judge has dealt President Donald Trump's rule affecting mail-in ballots another setback, issuing an injunction that halts key portions of the policy.

According to reporting on Friday, Judge Indira Talwani handed down a preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Postal Service from putting portions of its new mail-in ballot rule into effect. Talwani, who serves on the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, had previously issued a temporary restraining order against the rule, and her new ruling replaces that earlier order.

Legal analyst Chris Geidner noted that because the preliminary injunction supersedes the prior restraining order, any appeals in the case must now begin anew. (X post)

The ruling is the latest development in ongoing litigation over the USPS mail-in ballot rule, which has drawn legal challenges since its introduction. The rule is one of several changes to election and voting procedures pursued during the Trump administration that have become the subject of court fights, and disputes over mail-in ballot handling have been recurring flashpoints in recent election cycles, when tens of millions of voters have cast ballots by mail.

Preliminary injunctions are typically issued when a court finds that the party requesting relief is likely to succeed on the merits of its case and could suffer irreparable harm without court intervention. Unlike the temporary order it replaced, a preliminary injunction generally remains in effect while the case proceeds, meaning the blocked portions of the rule will stay on hold unless a higher court intervenes. The next steps to watch include any appeal of Talwani's injunction and the case's progression toward a final ruling on the merits.