Appeals Court Rejects Justice Department Bid to Segregate California Ballots
A federal appeals court panel has blocked the Justice Department from forcing California election officials to set aside thousands of ballots.
At a glance
- A federal appeals court denied the Trump administration request to segregate over 20,000 ballots in California.
- The 2-1 ruling found the government failed to show extraordinary relief was required by law.
- Dissenting judge Patrick Bumatay argued the government proposal was a modest remedy to safeguard elections.
- U.S. District Judge David Carter previously ruled the demand violated principles of state control over elections.
A federal appeals court on Friday denied a request from the Trump administration to force California election officials to set aside ballots from more than 20,000 individuals it claims might be noncitizens. In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that the government failed to demonstrate that such extraordinary intervention during an ongoing election is legally required. The majority noted that identifying and separating the specific ballots would cause potentially catastrophic effects on the entire voting system.
The majority opinion was issued by judges Mark Bennet, a Trump nominee, and Gabriel Sanchez, a Biden nominee. The dissenting vote came from judge Patrick Bumatay, another Trump appointee, who described the government proposal as a modest remedy. Bumatay wrote that the federal government and the states should be able to work together to safeguard state decisions regarding who is eligible to vote.
This marked the second time within a week that the appeals court panel turned down an emergency intervention request from the administration. The Justice Department had filed a lawsuit earlier in the month demanding that election authorities isolate the disputed ballots. The administration argued the step was necessary to protect the integrity of the voting process from potential noncitizen participation.
U.S. District Judge David Carter had previously ruled against the administration, stating that granting the request would violate longstanding constitutional principles giving states control over their elections. Carter expressed skepticism regarding the methodology used by the government to compile its list of names. He pointed to inconsistencies in similar claims raised by the administration in other states, such as Nevada, where initial figures of alleged noncitizen voters were drastically reduced upon manual review.
Representatives for civil rights organizations involved in defending the case praised the court decision. Kristen Clarke, general counsel of the NAACP, stated that the Justice Department attempted to undermine voters without credible evidence. Meanwhile, the Justice Department did not immediately provide a response regarding the ruling or potential plans for a further appeal to the Supreme Court.
What it means
The legal clash highlights ongoing partisan battles over election administration rules and federal oversight. The Trump administration has pursued multiple challenges across various states to alter voting procedures, framing these efforts as necessary security measures. Conversely, civil rights groups and state officials argue these late-stage legal actions create administrative chaos and threaten eligible voters.
The rulings underscore the high stakes surrounding election integrity claims and the deference courts typically show to established state administration procedures. By repeatedly rebuffing the administration's emergency requests, the judiciary has reinforced the principle that altering voting systems close to election day requires overwhelming and verifiable proof, rather than speculative estimates.
Background
Federal law and the U.S. Constitution grant states primary authority over organizing and running elections. Disputes over voter rolls, citizenship verification, and ballot processing frequently land in federal courts as political parties litigating voting procedures ahead of major elections.
What happens next
The Justice Department has not yet announced whether it will file an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge the 9th Circuit ruling.
Reporting from: NBC News, ABC News. Spotted an error? Tell us.
- 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
- Department of Justice
- Voting Rights
- California Elections
- Trump Administration
- United States
- Politics