Trump Administration Misses Appeal Deadline in 20,000-Ballot California Fight as Courts Block Wider Election Push
Updated
Updated · Los Angeles Times · Oct 31
Trump Administration Misses Appeal Deadline in 20,000-Ballot California Fight as Courts Block Wider Election Push
3 articles · Updated · Los Angeles Times · Oct 31
Summary
A late-Friday cascade of rulings left the Trump administration silent and off deadline in its bid to challenge California voting procedures, including a missed chance to seek full 9th Circuit review in the 20,000-ballot case.
Judge Trina Thompson separately barred federal officials from telling poll workers to set aside questioned ballots or threatening them with criminal sanctions, saying voting was already underway and delay was unjustified.
Federal judges also refused to let immigration agents conduct door knocks and street stops in California and eight other states, while a D.C. court forced disclosure of the administration’s alleged noncitizen-voter list.
UCLA analysts said that list contained extensive errors, including citizens and thousands of people not on California’s voter rolls, reinforcing judges’ view that disenfranchisement risks outweighed the administration’s uncertain fraud claims.
The setbacks, days before an election that will help decide control of Congress, underscored courts’ resistance to what judges called unconstitutional federal intrusion into state-run elections.