US judge blocks Trump administration from threatening election workers with prosecution over suspected noncitizen ballots days before the midterms
Donald Trump, who has held 25 rallies since early October, now faces warnings of a West Wing "bloodbath" if Republicans lose the Senate on Tuesday.
California District Judge Trina Thompson on Friday night issued an emergency restraining order preventing the DOJ and DHS from warning election workers they could face criminal charges for handling ballots, just days ahead of Tuesday's midterms. The order came in response to a lawsuit from unions and civil rights groups accusing the administration of running "a campaign to intimidate, threaten, and coerce" state and local officials administering the 2026 elections. A separate appeals court blocked the DOJ's effort to quarantine 20,000 California ballots, with one judge warning the move would "wreak havoc."
UCLA data scientists determined that 42% of the names on the DOJ's 20,930-person noncitizen list have no corresponding entry in California's voter rolls.
At least 22 confirmed US citizens were flagged on the government's list, with thousands more potentially misidentified.
Trump hit back on Truth Social, praising Los Angeles prosecutor Bill Essayli as 'one of the best, EVER!' and vowing to press on with his election-integrity fight.
