Supreme Court Backs Postal Immunity as Mail Voting Looms in Midterms

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Employees sort vote-by-mail ballots from municipal elections on Election Day at the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections Office, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Doral, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
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WASHINGTON (AURN News) — The Supreme Court ruled that Americans cannot sue the federal government over claims that postal workers intentionally withheld their mail, shielding the U.S. Postal Service under federal law.

The court said the federal government retains sovereign immunity under the Federal Tort Claims Act’s postal exception, even when mail is intentionally not delivered.

The case involved a Texas landlord who claimed postal workers deliberately stopped delivering her mail for nearly two years. She sued, and lower courts were divided before the Supreme Court sided with the government. The majority said the terms “loss” and “miscarriage” of mail are broad enough to cover intentional non-delivery.

In 2024, more than 48 million Americans voted by mail. If mail is intentionally delayed, withheld or mishandled and there is no path to sue for damages, that raises serious questions ahead of the midterms.


Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.

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AURN News with Ebony McMorris