A new order from Judge Emmet Sullivan instructs USPS to conduct two sweeps for ballots in Texas.
Lawyers for the NAACP asked for the order, which Sullivan granted.
It instructs USPS to conduct two sweeps in all Texas processing plants for ballots postmarked on Election Day or earlier.
The first sweep must start immediately; the second must take place at 4 p.m. ET.
Any ballots postmarked on or before Election Day found in the sweeps must be delivered to election officials by 5 p.m. ET, according to the order.
The order also requires USPS to report on how many ballots were found during those Texas sweeps.
USPS' Kevin Bray, who is in charge of all mail processing during the 2020 election, told the court that the instructions had already been sent to postal employees in the Lone Star State.
In post offices, the order instructs the USPS to remind all managers that ballots should implement local turnaround, which skips normal processing procedures so that ballots can be delivered immediately.
This order is important because Texas allows for the counting of ballots that arrive by 5 p.m. Wednesday (November 4) as long as they are postmarked on or before Election Day.