Supreme court rules against Trump over California ballots
The US Supreme Court has rejected the Trump administration's attempt to force California election officials to segregate and withhold 20,000 ballots cast by voters the Justice Department alleged were non-citizens. The dispute began in mid-October when federal officials delivered a USB drive with names to election offices in Los Angeles and Sacramento, demanding that the ballots be sequestered within 48 hours. Local officials refused, pointing to data errors and a total lack of methodology, with Los Angeles county clerk Dean Logan emphasizing that the federal government failed to provide any underlying evidence of ineligibility.
The Supreme Court ruling upholds an October 28 decision by US District Judge David Carter, who rejected the administration's request and described the move to disrupt state election procedures on the eve of a vote as an extreme, unprecedented federal overreach. Prior to the ruling, the administration had threatened to prosecute local officials, opened criminal inquiries, and issued subpoenas. The California effort is part of a wider campaign that includes a similar ballot-segregation demand in Washington state, criminal charges filed against 28 green card holders, and Trump offering a $1m reward for voter fraud tips leading to convictions, despite data showing that non-citizen voting is extremely rare.
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