The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump administration’s emergency request to force California to set aside ballots from more than 20,000 registered voters the Justice Department says may not be US citizens. The justices issued a one-sentence order with no noted dissents, hours after the request was filed.
The ruling leaves California’s existing ballot procedures in place on the eve of the November 3 midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress. The Justice Department had asked the court to require California to segregate mail ballots linked to people on a federal list and hold them from counting while the government challenged their eligibility.
US Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the court the United States had identified more than 20,000 people who appear to be registered to vote in California but who, in the government’s view, are likely not US citizens. California officials argued they lack the means and legal authority to freeze mail ballots until citizenship can be verified.
Lower courts had already rejected the request. US District Judge David Carter turned it down on October 28, and a divided panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals sided with California on October 30, saying forcing the state to use the federal list could bar valid votes and disrupt the Los Angeles County election. The Supreme Court did not ask California for a response brief before ruling, and gave no explanation for its decision.
Source: USA Today
