Trump Administration Appeals Order Blocking Threats to 57 California Counties Before Nov. 3 Vote
Updated
Updated · NBC News · Oct 31
Trump Administration Appeals Order Blocking Threats to 57 California Counties Before Nov. 3 Vote
3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Oct 31
Summary
The Justice Department asked the 9th Circuit on Saturday to overturn a judge’s order barring federal officials from threatening or coercing election workers through Nov. 16, days before the Nov. 3 midterms.
Judge Trina Thompson said DOJ and DHS had mounted a campaign to pressure local officials to halt or segregate ballots from voters the administration alleges are noncitizens, risking disruption and disenfranchisement.
At the center of the case are DOJ letters sent last week to 57 of California’s 58 counties, demanding cooperation within 48 hours and seeking nonpublic voter data tied to 1,133 suspected noncitizens in San Bernardino County.
The appeal follows a string of losses for the administration: a federal appeals court on Friday rejected its bid to force California to segregate ballots, and another court earlier blocked efforts to stop more than 20,000 ballots from being counted.