A federal judge in Washington has blocked the United States Postal Service (USPS) from implementing recent changes to its handling of mail-in ballots, citing a prior legal agreement that mandates prioritized and timely delivery of election mail. The ruling came Wednesday from Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, who found that policies directed by former President Donald Trump violated a 2021 settlement between the USPS and the N.A.A.C.P.

The settlement, reached in December 2021 following a lawsuit filed by the N.A.A.C.P. alleging that postal delays could disenfranchise voters, requires the Postal Service to “prioritize monitoring and timely delivery of election mail” for all federal elections through 2028. Judge Sullivan determined that the USPS’s proposed changes, which included withholding mail-in ballots from states that declined to submit voter data to the federal government, breached the terms of that agreement.

Sullivan, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, criticized Trump’s executive order as an attempt to impose federal control over mail-in and absentee ballots in federal elections, stating that the Postal Service had previously committed to consult with the N.A.A.C.P. and submit plans prior to each national election to ensure efficient election mail delivery.

The decision follows a similar judicial rebuke last week when a federal judge in Massachusetts struck down key provisions of the Trump administration’s order, ruling that authority over elections primarily resides with the states. That case involved challenges to policies requiring states to submit lists of eligible voters and changes to mail ballot procedures.

The N.A.A.C.P., which initially sued the Postal Service amid a rise in mail voting during the COVID-19 pandemic, argued that the proposed changes would erect unlawful barriers to voting and disproportionately impact Black voters, who are more likely to rely on mail ballots due to longstanding inequities in access. Among the contested measures were the introduction of individualized barcodes on ballots and the rejection of ballots from states that refuse to share voter lists with the USPS.

Anthony P. Ashton, senior associate general counsel for the N.A.A.C.P., stated that these proposed modifications conflicted directly with the Postal Service’s duty to prioritize election mail and highlighted the role of mail-in voting in reducing voter intimidation and irregularities on Election Day.

Postmaster General David Steiner has stated publicly that the Postal Service intends to comply with all court orders related to mail voting, though the agency had argued in court filings that the changes could not be blocked prior to finalizing new rules and contended that these proposals were outside the scope of the settlement.

A former USPS election mail specialist, William Hensley, described the measures required by the 2021 settlement to expedite ballots, which include deploying delivery vehicles on additional trips, allowing overtime pay for postal workers, and processing ballots locally to speed turnaround times.

For the upcoming midterm elections, the Postal Service has announced plans to enforce these special measures starting October 27, about one week before Election Day. The agency has not issued a public response to recent court rulings that have partially blocked the Trump administration’s mail voting directives.