Judge rejects DOJ bid to block California mail ballots for suspected noncitizens

A U.S. District Judge on Wednesday rejected a request by the Justice Department to temporarily block California from counting mail ballots for more than 20,000 registered voters that the department alleges are likely noncitizens.

The Court's Ruling

US District Judge David Carter issued the decision in Los Angeles federal court, stating that the Justice Department's request for a temporary restraining order ran afoul of "longstanding constitutional principles mandating that states have control over their elections."

In his ruling, Carter wrote, "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 and bend to the will of the Executive Branch."

The judge expressed concern that granting the request would "wreak havoc" and cause thousands of registered voters to "potentially lose the right that generations of Americans have fought to preserve." Carter added, "If the Executive can discount votes and threaten an ongoing election due to unproven allegations, then our democracy is in danger."

Arguments from the Parties

The Justice Department has argued that the request is necessary to ensure California does not impede the enforcement of federal law prohibiting noncitizens from voting in federal elections. "This ongoing emergency disenfranchises American citizens through dilution," said Justice Department lawyer Bill Essayli.

California officials have characterized the lawsuit as a "reckless political stunt" and stated that the Justice Department's assertions rely on "suspect data." According to state officials, complying with the demands would risk disenfranchising eligible voters.

Lawyers for Los Angeles County argued that it would be "impossible" for election workers to manually segregate ballots by the end of the election period. They also noted that a review of a sample of 200 records from the government's list found that more than half corresponded to voter registrations that were canceled or inactive.

Broader Context

The decision follows several other legal actions by the Trump administration regarding election administration:

• Alaska: The Justice Department asked a judge to prevent the certification of election results if the Republican incumbent senator loses, alleging voter confusion due to a candidate with a similar name.
• Washington: The Justice Department sent a letter asking officials not to count ballots from 400 voters it said may not be citizens.

The Justice Department has appealed Judge Carter's decision to the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals.

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Sources

• cnbc.com: Judge says Trump bid to toss California ballots would ‘wreak havoc’
• cbsnews.com: Judge rejects Trump administration's push to force California to set aside thousands of mail ballots - CBS News
• upi.com: Judge rejects DOJ effort to remove 20K California mail-in ballots - UPI.com

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.