AG Ferguson files new lawsuit to stop far-reaching Postal Service rule changes

Changes mirror those Postal Service wanted ahead of the 2020 election that Ferguson successfully blocked in federal court

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson partnered Thursday, October 7, 2021 with a coalition of states that will file a complaint with the Postal Regulatory Commission challenging drastic operational changes at the U.S. Postal Service that threaten critical mail delivery. 

These mirror changes Postmaster General and Trump-appointee Louis DeJoy intended to make before the 2020 election that Ferguson successfully blocked in federal court last fall.

The complaint details DeJoy’s failure to follow federal law in making harmful Postal Service changes. Ferguson asserts these major Postal Service changes, which range from eliminating working hours, slowing delivery of first-class mail and removing equipment, threaten the timely delivery of mail to millions of Americans who rely on the Postal Service for delivery of everything from medical prescriptions to ballots.

Ferguson led a coalition of 14 states ahead of the 2020 general election to prevent the Postal Service from making drastic changes that would have slowed election-related mail. A federal judge in Yakima specifically ordered the Postal Service to perform nightly sweeps for ballots in areas where data showed unacceptably low on-time delivery rates up to the weekend before Election Day. These slowdowns were prevalent in Michigan and Wisconsin, which were also swing states in the election.

“Millions of Americans depend on the mail every day to receive their prescriptions, pay bills, receive Social Security checks, send rent payments and more,” Ferguson said. “One political appointee does not get to decide the fate of the Postal Service. There is a process that demands accountability from the American public for a reason — and I will fight to ensure the public gets a say.”

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