WASHINGTON – On behalf of Members of the U.S. Senate led by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Constitutional Accountability Center today filed briefs in support of challenges to recent changes made by the United States Postal Service (USPS) that affect service nationwide, in violation of a federal law Congress passed to protect the USPS from partisan influence and ensure accountability to the public. CAC President Elizabeth Wydra issued the following statement: 

Let’s be clear: Before USPS leaders may implement changes that will impact mail delivery on a substantially nationwide basis, the law requires certain procedures to be followed. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, however, ignored that law, instead pushing ahead with changes that have slowed mail delivery across America.  

Removing collection boxes. Dismantling high-speed mail sorting machines. Reducing employee overtime pay and delivery hours. Telling 46 states and the District of Columbia that the USPS could not guarantee timely delivery of mail-in ballots for the November election. All of this with the nation on the cusp of a historic vote in the middle of a public health emergency that has infected more than 6 million and killed 190,000 in America.  

Since our nation’s founding, the postal system has played a pivotal role in our society by facilitating the free flow of information. Congress has regularly made changes to ensure access to the mail for all people, regardless of physical location or socioeconomic status. Today, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, a reliable postal system is critical to ensuring that all Americans have a safe way to exercise their constitutional right to vote. Courts should hold Postmaster General DeJoy accountable and enjoin the challenged changes to mail delivery until DeJoy follows the law. 

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Resources: 

CAC brief on behalf of U.S. Senators in NAACP v. USPS (also filed in NY v. Trump): https://www.theusconstitution.org/litigation/naacp-v-usps/  

“Senator McConnell: Put out the fire at the Postal Service,” Elizabeth Wydra, The Hill, August 30, 2020: https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/514339-senator-mcconnell-put-out-the-fire-at-the-postal-service   

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Constitutional Accountability Center is a think tank, public interest law firm, and action center dedicated to fulfilling the progressive promise of the Constitution’s text and history. Visit CAC’s website at www.theusconstitution.org. 

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