Watchdog Group Files Amicus Brief in USPS Case

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kara Zupkus (224)-456-0257

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) filed an amicus brief at the Supreme Court supporting respondent Lebene Konan in her legal battle against the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). USPS employees discriminated against Konan on the basis of her race and withheld her mail, yet the agency argues that it is immune from lawsuits alleging intentional wrongdoing under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA).

In response, David Williams, TPA President, offered the following statement:

“America’s mail carrier is not above the law. The USPS has the audacity to argue before the Court that it can act with impunity and wantonly discriminate against consumers without any fear of legal sanction. This was absolutely not the intention of Congress when it enacted the FTCA in 1946. The legislation was designed to shield the USPS from lawsuits arising from the agency failing to deliver the mail because of mistakes and mix-ups. It was never meant to be a ‘get-out-of-jail-free card’ for egregious acts and government abuse. The USPS sorely needs accountability, but the government is trying everything to prevent that from happening.”

TPA Senior Fellow Ross Marchand offered the following comment:

“The USPS has been losing vast sums of money, including $9.5 billion in fiscal year 2024. Consumers have had to deal with declining service standards and employees who think they are above the law. If the government prevails in this case, there will simply be no way of checking the agency’s monopoly power or getting justice for victims of the USPS’ misdeeds. This would be an unfair outcome that gets Congress’s intent completely wrong. Lebene Konan deserves her day in court.” 

###

 Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to educating the public through the research, analysis and dissemination of information on the government’s effects on the economy.