Appeals court rejects Trump DoJ bid to block California mail-ballot counting
Source Summary
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the Trump administration's request to block California from counting mail-in ballots from voters on a federal list of over 20,000 registered voters alleged to be noncitizens. The decision represents another setback for Trump's efforts to expand federal oversight of elections ahead of the November midterms. California counties had been directed by the DoJ to set aside and verify ballots for voters on the noncitizen list.
Why it matters
The ruling preserves California's authority to count disputed ballots in a closely watched federal election dispute that reflects broader tensions over voting access and federal election oversight.
