WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Sunday renewed its appeal to the Supreme Court after a federal judge blocked new restrictions on mail ballots ahead of the midterms.
The filing came after U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani extended an order against the Postal Service enforcing President Donald Trump’s executive order for the November elections.
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Wake County Board of Elections employees prepare absentee ballots to be mailed on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Ramey)
Wake County Board of Elections employees prepare absentee ballots to be mailed on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Ramey)
Olivia McCall, director of the Wake County Board of Elections, poses for a portrait on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Ramey)
FILE - Vote-by-mail ballots for the presidential primary election are seen on March 12, 2024, at the Clark County Elections Office in Vancouver, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
Envelopes for mail-in ballots at the Wake County Board of Elections are seen on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Ramey)
The legal wrangling comes even as states start sending out mail ballots, leaving the administration little time to make big changes in mail ballot rules.
“Ballots have already begun to be mailed in North Carolina, and more States will begin the mailing process as the injunction remains in place — including Alabama on September 9 and at least five States the week of September 13,” Solicitor General John Sauer said in the filing.
“Once those ballot envelopes enter the mailstream, there is no retrieving them. And while the injunction allows the Postal Service and the States to continue taking steps to ensure that their envelopes satisfy the Rule’s requirements ... each day the injunction is in place risks sowing confusion and chaos because the injunction makes those preparatory steps voluntary, rather than mandatory.”
The appeal marks the third time the administration has asked the high court to intervene. The high court has allowed the plan to move forward but not ruled on whether it is legal.
The battle could have major ramifications for this year’s elections, when control of Congress is at stake. Nearly one-third of voters in the U.S. cast mail ballots.
Democratic states and voting rights groups say the changes are unconstitutional. Election officials contend there isn’t enough time to revise their systems to comply with the new Postal Service directives.
The Trump administration has framed the restrictions as commonsense changes that are within its power to regulate the mail.
“Simply put, the best way to address respondents’ fears about inability to comply with the Rule is to grant an immediate administrative stay of the order, followed by a full stay pending further review,” Sauer said. “That will remove the improper cloud of uncertainty that the district court has cast over the Rule, making clear to all involved that compliance with the Rule is not optional and must start without further delay.”
Trump has long sought to limit mail voting, even though he himself often uses that method to cast his own ballot. He has falsely blamed mail balloting for his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Bden, spreading baseless claims of fraud. But so far, he has been unable to change the longstanding voting procedure.
Wake County Board of Elections employees prepare absentee ballots to be mailed on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Ramey)
Wake County Board of Elections employees prepare absentee ballots to be mailed on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Ramey)
Olivia McCall, director of the Wake County Board of Elections, poses for a portrait on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Ramey)
FILE - Vote-by-mail ballots for the presidential primary election are seen on March 12, 2024, at the Clark County Elections Office in Vancouver, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
Envelopes for mail-in ballots at the Wake County Board of Elections are seen on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Ramey)
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Anak Krakatau volcano erupted in Indonesia early Sunday, prompting the cancellation of all flights at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and disrupting other domestic airports as volcanic ash drifted across parts of western Indonesia.
The volcanic island located in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait between the main Java and Sumatra islands had showed signs of activity since Friday before erupting for 30 seconds at 3:53 a.m. Sunday and for 16 seconds about three hours later, Indonesia’s Geological Agency said. Closed-circuit camera footage showed lava flares from the volcano.
No casualties were reported and no evacuation order was issued. The nearest settlement is more than 16 kilometers (10 miles) away, but authorities warned residents and visitors to stay at least 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the active crater.
Volcanic ash spread across parts of Jakarta and Lampung province on Sumatra’s southern tip, Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said.
AirNav Indonesia closed airspace around Soekarno-Hatta and Halim Perdanakusuma airports in Jakarta, as well as six other airports, including Radin Inten II Airport in Lampung, because of volcanic ash.
By Sunday evening, the closure had affected 467 flights in Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport alone that affected about 150,000 passengers. The airport was ordered closed until 11:59 p.m.
“It’s of course an inconvenience,” said Diego Urdiales, a Spanish tourist who was supposed to fly home to Madrid. “I was supposed to get input from the airline ... but so far no news.”
“It’s a natural disaster, it’s a force majeure, so, what can we do?” said Michele Gouw, an Indonesian passenger. “We just have to accept it and wait for the airline and airport directions.”
Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation said that it was closely monitoring the eruption's impact on air travel and coordinating with airlines, airport operators, air navigation services and the meteorology agency.
“Safety remains our top priority in every operational decision,” Lukman F. Laisa, Ministry of Transportation director general of civil aviation, said in a statement.
He warned flight schedules could face cascading disruptions affecting aircraft rotations, fleet availability and terminal capacity as airlines work to restore operations.
The eruption also disrupted services at Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport and at Medan.
Indonesia’s volcanology agency and the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre identified two ash clouds using satellite imagery. One plume rose to 20,000 feet (6,100 meters) and drifted northeast over Jakarta, Banten, West Java and nearby waters. A second cloud reached 50,000 feet (15,200 meters) and spread over parts of Banten, Lampung and Bengkulu provinces, the southern Sunda Strait and sections of the Indian Ocean west of Sumatra.
Lana Saria, head of Indonesia’s Geological Agency, said activity at Anak Krakatau has intensified since July, with Sunday’s eruption the strongest during that period.
The repeated eruptions indicate a continued supply of magma and volcanic gases beneath the volcano, she said, though officials can't predict whether a larger eruption will occur.
“We continue to evaluate the volcano’s development based on all monitoring data, not solely on the number of eruptions or the height of the ash column,” Saria said in a video briefing.
She said the main hazards include volcanic ash, high concentrations of gas and the ejection of hot rocks and other material around the crater area.
Anak Krakatau, which means “child of Krakatau,” is the offspring of the famous Krakatau, whose monumental 1883 eruption triggered a period of global cooling.
An eruption of Anak Krakatau in 2018 caused a tsunami that killed at least 430 people in Sumatra and Java. Researchers believe volcanic activity triggered an underwater landslide and caused a large chunk of Anak Krakatau’s southwest slope to collapse and displace a large volume of water. Scientists said that Anak Krakatau island was only about a quarter of its original size after that eruption.
Edna Tarigan, Dita Alangkara and Fadlan Syam contributed to this report.
Firefighters spray water to clear the road from volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Wauntara)
In this drone photo released by the Geological Agency (Badan Geologi) of Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mount Anak Krakatau spews volcanic smoke in Sunda Strait, Indonesia, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (Badan Geologi via AP)
Travelers queue up for check in at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
In this image released by Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency (PVMBG), lava glows during the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau in Sunda Strait, Indonesia, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (PVMBG via AP)
Travelers walk past an information board showing disrupted flights at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Travelers wait for their flights at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Travelers walk past an information board showing disrupted flights at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Travelers wait for their flights at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
