Key facts
- US District Judge David Carter will hear arguments on Tuesday on the Justice Department's request to block California from counting mail ballots from over 20,000 registered voters alleged to be noncitizens.
- The Justice Department's lawsuit was filed on October 15.
- California argues that the Justice Department's assertions rely on suspect data and that complying with its demands risks disenfranchising eligible voters.
- The Justice Department has also sought to intervene in elections in Alaska and Washington state.
A US judge is scheduled to hear arguments on Tuesday regarding the Justice Department's request to block California from counting mail ballots from over 20,000 registered voters alleged to be noncitizens. The Justice Department filed a lawsuit on October 15, marking an escalation in the Trump administration's efforts to increase the federal government's role in elections ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. California has stated that its safeguards against noncitizen voting are robust and that the Justice Department's assertions rely on suspect data, which could risk disenfranchising eligible voters. The hearing comes after a federal appeals court rejected an emergency request by the Justice Department to temporarily block the counting of these ballots.