US judges block the Trump administration from pressuring California to set aside suspected noncitizen ballots on midterms eve
Every court to have ruled on the administration's ballot challenges — district, appeals and now the Supreme Court — has turned the government down.
Several federal judges have acted to stop the Trump administration from forcing California to quarantine ballots cast by more than 20,000 voters suspected of being noncitizens, after courts found the government's lists riddled with errors. The Supreme Court rejected an emergency Justice Department appeal in the closing hours before Tuesday's midterm elections, and the Ninth Circuit overturned a prior decision that had gone in the administration's favour, sending the case back to a larger panel for reconsideration.
A DOJ lawyer acknowledged in court that the government's suspect-voter list carries a 'high error rate,' with analysis indicating thousands of genuine citizens had been incorrectly identified.
California Governor Gavin Newsom told judges he is concerned the DOJ will pursue warrants to physically seize ballots, election records and voting machines before results are certified.
