High Court Denies Ballot Freeze Bid

The U.S. Supreme Court denied a last-minute request from the Department of Justice to intervene in California election administration on Monday evening.

The decision arrived just hours before Tuesday's Election Day. The Justice Department had sought to stop the processing of ballots for 20,000 voters it identified as likely noncitizens. The high court declined to take up the appeal, leaving the state's current procedures intact for the upcoming vote.

This legal battle is part of a wider conflict between federal and state officials over voter rolls. Judge David Carter, a Clinton appointee, described the federal actions last week as a broad, ongoing pattern of attempted election interference. A divided Ninth Circuit panel had previously rejected the Justice Department's request to set aside specific ballots. The DOJ then sought emergency relief from the Supreme Court.

The Ninth Circuit majority warned that changing rules so close to the vote could disenfranchise voters. Judges Mark Bennett and Gabriel Sanchez cited the Purcell principle, which discourages altering election rules on the eve of an election. They also noted that the Constitution grants states authority over their own elections. The National Voter Registration Act further restricts states from removing ineligible voters within 90 days of a federal election. Judge Patrick Bumatay, a Trump appointee, filed a dissenting opinion.

Data suggests the number of affected ballots is lower than the federal government claims. County officials found that many names on the Justice Department list lacked active registrations or received mailed ballots. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, analyzed the list after gaining court access in a separate lawsuit. Their findings showed that 42% of the names did not appear on California's current voter roll. The analysis also identified naturalized citizens among the flagged voters.

The Justice Department has increased its pressure on California election officials in recent weeks. The agency sent subpoenas and warned of potential criminal prosecution for allowing ineligible voters to cast ballots. A federal judge in San Francisco issued a temporary restraining order late Friday. That order bars the Trump administration from threatening or coercing election officials to stop processing ballots for registered voters. The federal government has appealed that ruling.