LOS ANGELES – A federal judge on Wednesday delivered a sharp rebuke to the Trump administration, denying its request to block California from processing ballots linked to a disputed list of 20,000 potentially noncitizen voters. U.S. District Judge David O. Carter warned that the federal government’s intervention would “wreak havoc” on the midterm elections and risk disenfranchising thousands of legitimate U.S. citizens.
The ruling represents a significant legal setback for the administration, which has sought to exert greater federal oversight over state-run election processes as the nation prepares to decide the balance of power in Congress. The Justice Department had argued that California election officials failed to meet a 48-hour deadline to review a list of voters the government alleged were likely noncitizens. They requested that the state sequester those ballots until immigration statuses could be verified.
However, Judge Carter soundly rejected the notion that segregating ballots would preserve election integrity. With more than 3.7 million ballots already cast in California and over 500,000 already counted, the judge emphasized that forcing counties to alter their administrative procedures mid-cycle would create a “chilling effect” on both voters and poll workers.
“Eroded trust in our democracy is irreparable,” Carter wrote in his order. “Once a vote is segregated, lasting harm has occurred. If the Executive can discount votes and threaten an ongoing election due to unproven allegations, then our democracy is in danger. This Court declines to be a party to such process.”
Carter further noted that the Justice Department’s request violated the National Voting Rights Act, which prohibits significant changes to voter rolls within 90 days of an election. He added that the federal government’s concerns were not supported by the facts on the ground, noting that prosecutors have already demonstrated they have the tools to enforce the law, having recently arrested 28 individuals for illegal voter registration or participation.
The administration’s argument for sequestration—a move First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli claimed was intended to “prevent the infection of our election with illegal ballots”—failed to sway the court.
The California ruling follows a broader pattern of litigation across the country. The Justice Department recently filed a similar request in Washington state regarding ballots suspected of being cast by noncitizens, while a separate lawsuit in Alaska seeks to delay vote certification if the Republican incumbent does not prevail.
As the legal battles continue, the judiciary’s firm stance in California underscores the mounting tension between federal oversight efforts and state-managed election systems. Federal prosecutors did not immediately issue a statement following the ruling, leaving the status of the contested California ballots clear for continued processing as the midterms reach their final, decisive days.
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