No. 26A305·Stay application·Filed by the federal government·Presented to Justice Jackson·From United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
What did the Court do?
The Court denied the request on September 14, 2026: the lower court's ruling stays in effect while the appeal continues.
Emergency rulings are temporary and do not decide the underlying case. Justice Alito and Justice Thomas would have ruled the other way.
Filed · Ruled · 8 days after filing
What's being asked
The federal government asks the Supreme Court to pause (stay) a lower-court ruling from the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit while the appeal continues. The case is United States Postal Service v. California.
What the Court did
Application (26A305) for stay presented to Justice Jackson and by her referred to the Court is denied. The Government is unlikely to succeed on the merits of its challenge to the District Court's preliminary injunction. And the equitable factors applicable for obtaining emergency relief from this Court do not favor a stay. Justice Kavanaugh, concurring. (Detached <a href = 'https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a305_4g15.pdf'>Opinion</a>) Justice Alito, joined by Justice Thomas, dissenting. (Detached <a href = 'https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a305_4g15.pdf#page=2'>Opinion</a>)
Concurring · 1agreed with the result, wrote separately
The order records the positions of 3 of 9 justices. The Court usually does not say how each justice voted on an emergency application, so the rest are shown as not published.
Filing60 days
Days from filing to a ruling for 54 rulings on applications decided without a response since January 1, 2025. The band is the middle half, the tick the median, and the mark this application: ruled 8 days after filing.
What it means
This is a temporary order about what happens while the case is decided, not a ruling on who is right. The case continues in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Separate writings
Justice Alito, joined by Justice Thomas, dissenting
Facts on this page come from the Supreme Court docket, orders, and opinions for No. 26A305. The answers restate that record in plain words; explainer copy is written from the record and the filings only.