Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Set Aside California Ballots
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administration's attempt to force California to segregate and withhold about 20,000 ballots it claims were cast by non-citizens.
The story in focus
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administration's effort to force California election officials to segregate and not count about 20,000 ballots the Justice Department claims were cast by non-citizens, The Guardian reported. Lower courts had sided with California, which argued the federal government was interfering in state elections.
- The Guardian reported the Supreme Court ruled Monday against the Trump administration.
- The Justice Department sought to have about 20,000 ballots segregated and withheld from counting.
- The department delivered a list of names in mid-October with a 48-hour review deadline.
- U.S. District Judge David Carter ruled against segregation on 28 October.
- A similar segregation demand was made in Washington state, and a federal criminal investigation continues in California.
What the Court Decided
The Supreme Court ruled on Monday against the Trump administration's attempt to force California election officials to segregate and not count ballots from people the Justice Department says are non-citizens, according to The Guardian. The ruling followed several lower courts that sided with California officials, who argued the federal government was seeking to interfere in state elections.
The legal standoff centered on the department's claim that 20,000 non-citizens were on the state's voter rolls. In mid-October, the department delivered a USB drive containing names to election officials in Los Angeles and Sacramento and gave them 48 hours to review the list, threatening to sue if the ballots were not sequestered until those listed could verify their citizenship. Officials refused.
Lower Court and Department Response
U.S. District Judge David Carter rejected the segregation request in a 28 October ruling. Carter, nominated by Bill Clinton, wrote that never before had the federal government, on the eve of an election, sought to coerce a state and local government to abandon its constitutional election procedures.
The department declined to disclose its methodology. Dean Logan, Los Angeles County clerk and recorder, said in a statement that the department had not provided the underlying evidence, source, or methodology supporting its assertions. The Guardian reported that analysis by election officials found numerous suggestions the list contained inaccuracies.
The dispute continues alongside a federal criminal investigation and subpoenas of California election officials. The department has made a similar segregation demand in Washington state, and The Guardian reported charges against 28 green card holders in California accused of fraudulently registering and voting; experts and data indicate ineligible non-citizen voting is extremely rare.
What did the Supreme Court rule on the California ballot dispute?
It ruled against the Trump administration's bid to force California to segregate and withhold about 20,000 ballots the Justice Department claims were cast by non-citizens, The Guardian reported, after lower courts sided with the state.
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