Key facts
- The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the Trump administration's request.
- The federal government alleged more than 20,000 registered voters in California are likely noncitizens.
- California officials expressed concern the administration's directive could disenfranchise citizens.
- The Justice Department had demanded county elections offices segregate ballots from suspected noncitizens.
A US appeals court on Monday ruled against the Trump administration's request to block California from counting mail ballots from voters the federal government alleges are likely noncitizens. The decision by the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals marked the latest setback in Trump's efforts to assert a greater federal role in overseeing elections ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
California's attorney general, Rob Bonta, on Saturday rebuked the Trump administration’s efforts, calling it “politicizing and weaponizing the law.” Less than two weeks before the midterms, federal prosecutors had called upon California election officials to verify within 48 hours a list of about 20,000 ballots belonging to suspected noncitizens.
The U.S. Justice Department had expanded its efforts to intervene in California’s election by sending letters to county elections offices statewide, demanding they segregate ballots from voters the Trump administration believes are noncitizens. The letters gave officials 48 hours to act and threatened them with criminal punishments if they refused. California officials have contended the effort is illegal and asked for the appeal to be dismissed.