Supreme Court fails to deliver for Texas woman who claims Postal Service withheld mail because she is Black
CNN • • nation
Key Points:
- The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the U.S. Postal Service is exempt from lawsuits alleging intentional nondelivery of mail, based on a federal law exception protecting USPS from claims involving loss or negligent transmission of mail.
- Texas resident Lebene Konan accused the USPS of withholding her mail for years due to racial discrimination, including changing her mailbox lock and refusing delivery to her rental properties, but the Court ruled such claims are barred under the statute.
- The 5th Circuit Court had previously allowed Konan’s lawsuit to proceed, distinguishing intentional nondelivery from unintentional mail loss, but the Supreme Court overturned that decision, emphasizing the burden lawsuits would place on the government.
- Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, arguing the ruling
