Trump administration asks Supreme Court to hear California mail-in ballot appeal
The Justice Department says California should not count mailed ballots from about 20,000 voters it says may not be citizens.
- On Monday, November 2, 2026, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to direct California to set aside mailed ballots from 20,000 registered voters it alleges may not be citizens, just before Tuesday's midterm elections that will decide control of Congress.
- President Donald Trump has alleged without evidence that noncitizens are influencing election outcomes, prompting the Justice Department to seek a ballot hold. However, District Judge David Carter rejected this attempt on October 28, citing Constitutional authority over election regulation vested in states and Congress.
- In a 2-1 decision, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the rejection on Friday, stating segregating ballots could jeopardize the Los Angeles County election. Carter also criticized the administration for failing to provide sufficient evidence of a "credible" process.
- "Never before in American history has the federal government, on the eve of an election, sought to coerce a state and local government to abandon their own constitutional elections procedures," wrote District Judge David Carter, condemning the Executive Branch's intervention.
- In dissent, Circuit Judge Patrick Bumatay called the administration's proposal reasonable, arguing it would allow time to verify eligibility without canceling votes. The Justice Department countered that "once California commingles the challenged ballots with lawful ones, there is no way to get the challenged ballots back.
64 Articles
64 Articles
Trump takes fight over 20,000 California mail-in ballots to Supreme Court day before election
The Trump administration made a last-ditch plea to the Supreme Court on Monday, asking the justices to force California to set aside 20,000 mail-in ballots it claims were sent to noncitizens.
Trump Asks SCOTUS to Set Aside 20K California Ballots
President Trump's administration called to the Supreme Court on Monday in its push to sideline thousands of California mail ballots in the midterm elections. The emergency appeal came after an appeal court rejected the request to set aside some 20,000 ballots from people the federal government suspects may not...
Trump admin asks Supreme Court to set aside 20,000 California ballots over citizenship row a day before midterms
The Trump administration is seeking the Supreme Court's intervention to set aside 20,000 mail ballots in California over questions of voter eligibility and citizenship before the midterm elections.
The Trump administration's request to invalidate the ballots has already been overturned in two instances.
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