Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s lawsuit against the U.S. Postal Service moved forward Thursday after a federal judge granted his motion to expedite discovery.
“This case is unlike any other case this court has been involved in,” U.S. District Court Judge Bastian of Yakmia wrote. “Time is of the essence and because of this, there is good cause for expedited discovery. We don’t have much time between now and the election. I think everyone on this call wants their vote to be counted.”
Bastian gave the USPS 10 days to produce records related to the agency’s now paused operational changes under the tenure of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
In his testimony to Congress earlier this week, DeJoy denied having authorized any changes to the cash-strapped agency. Earlier this month, he promised to put any USPS overhauls on hold.
“Our election is less than 70 days away, and states are working to plan an election that is safe and secure during this unprecedented pandemic,” Ferguson said in a statement. “This can’t wait. I’m glad the court agrees.”
Washington joins a coalition of 13 other states suing the federal government over the changes to the Postal Service.
The lawsuit alleges that the initial changes, which included uninstalling mail sorting machines and removing mailboxes, impeded the timely mail delivery to millions of American households who rely on the Postal Service for ballots and medical prescriptions.
A report by The Center Square found a variety of Washington USPS workers were left with mixed signals from regional USPS leaders, which led to at least two mail sorting machines being damaged.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill on Saturday providing the USPS with an additional $25 billion.
President Donald Trump has said he will oppose any spending bills for the USPS and has repeated unsubstantiated claims that increases in mail-in voting would result in more cases of voter fraud.
Ferguson has filed 75 lawsuits against the Trump Administration to date. Of those cases, Ferguson has won 31, lost 21, and is appealing one more. Another 45 lawsuits await a judicial ruling.
