In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court has determined that the U.S. Postal Service is protected from lawsuits, even in cases of intentional mail non-delivery by its employees. The court said Congress, in 1946, had barred lawsuits “arising out of the loss, miscarriage, or negligent transmission of letters or postal matter,” and that includes mail that is stolen or misdirected by postal employees. Justice Clarence Thomas said the law broadly bars complaints involving lost or missing mail. “A ‘miscarriage of mail’ includes failure of the mail to arrive at its intended destination, regardless of the carrier’s intent or where the mail goes instead,” he said. Lebene Konan, a Texas real estate agent who is Black, had sued contending white postal carriers refused to deliver her mail to two houses where she rented rooms.
