A federal appeals court has overturned a lower court ruling against the U.S. Postal Service over policy changes made before the 2020 election, ruling the case was filed in the wrong court.
A unanimous panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals said Congress created a required process for challenging USPS changes, with complaints first needing to go through the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). The court ruled states could not bypass that process by suing directly in federal district court. Appeals of PRC decisions are then reviewed by the D.C. Circuit.
The states argued the PRC’s 90-day review process was too slow before the election and that court action was needed to prevent harm to mail voting. The appeals court rejected that argument, ruling courts cannot create exceptions to a review process established by Congress.
The decision vacated the lower court’s ruling, finding the district court did not have jurisdiction over the challenge.
